A 27 yr old man presented with productive cough, fever and manifestations of superior vena cava syndrome. He was an alcoholic but had been in good health until 3 days prior to admission. The physical examination, the chest radiograph and the results of the sputum culture were compatible with Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia of the right upper lobe. The superior vena cava scintigram using technet...

The benefits of a baffle fenestration in essentially high-risk Fontan patients have been demonstrated. Described here is the use of a new fenestration between the left atrial appendage and the left superior vena cava after Kawashima operation in a patient with a double-outlet right ventricle with hypoplastic left ventricle, left atrial isomerism, bilateral superior vena cavae with no bridging v...

Venous anomalies involving the inferior vena cava are very rare. The case of a 74-year-old man with coronary artery disease is presented. Interestingly, a double inferior vena cava was incidentally discovered during coronary artery bypass grafting. Persistence of the left hepatic segment vein appeared as a left inferior vena cava-a very rare condition.

Aggressive en-bloc resection of the superior vena cava was performed in a 50-year-old man who had superior vena caval syndrome caused by invasive thymoma. After the superior vena cava was resected, a Gore-Tex vascular graft was used to reconstruct the lower end of the right innominate vein and lower end of the superior vena cava. The patient was treated with postoperative radiotherapy to the me...

We report the case of a previously well 18-year-old male who presented to the Emergency Department with lower limb pain. An ultrasound demonstrated extensive left sided deep vein thrombosis and computed tomography demonstrated inferior vena cava agenesis, leading to the diagnosis of inferior vena cava agenesis associated deep vein thrombosis. The aetiology of inferior vena cava agenesis is expl...

Ascending aortic aneurysm is a rare cause of superior vena cava syndrome. Herein, we describe a case of superior vena cava syndrome caused by a chronic dissecting aortic aneurysm after aortic valve replacement. A successful replacement of the aortic root and ascending aorta led to an improvement of edema of the face and bilateral upper limbs caused by superior vena cava syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the occurrence of pulmonary arteriovenous malformations after a Fontan operation in the left isomerism and absent inferior vena cava. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 19 patients with the left isomerism and absent inferior vena cava who underwent Fontan operations at our institution. We divided the patients into two groups: bilateral superior vena cava (group A, n=9),...

Persistent left superior vena cava is the most common form of anomalous venous drainage involving the superior vena cava, and represents persistence of the left horn of the embryonic sinus venosus, which normally involutes during normal development to become the coronary sinus. Almost always, a persistent left superior vena cava enters the right atrium through the orifice of an enlarged coronar...

Superior vena cava syndrome results in obstruction of the superior vena cava and commonly requires intervention. Stents are often used to increase the patency of the vena cava and to prevent reocclusion. The role of antithrombotic therapy and agents to use has been highly debated due to stent location, hematologic complications, and limited clinical evidence available on the topic. This comment...

A 48 year old female with complex cyanotic heart disease and pulmonary hypertension was partly cyanosed because of a persistent left superior vena cava draining into an unroofed coronary sinus. The left superior vena cava, which measured 22 mm in diameter, was successfully occluded with a Günther Tulip Vena Cava Mreye Filter which acted as a barrier for embolisation coils.