Persistent left superior vena cava: Case report

Abstract

Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a rare anomaly of the systemic venous circulation. We report the case of a 22-year-old female that had history of multiple repair surgeries for her esophageal atresia, as well as a right lobectomy for bronchiectasis 15 years prior. She was admitted to the surgical ward for complete resection of the right lung. A trans-thoracic echocardiography was performed as part of the pre-surgical work-up and it revealed a dilated coronary sinus which led us to suspect the presence of a PLSVC. The latter was confirmed by a simple “Bubble study” and confirmed by CT angiogram. We will discuss throughout this paper, the clinical and radiological features, as well as the embryology of this anomaly, so that the knowledge of the existence of this anatomical variant, especially if surgery or catheterization is at reach of the medical team, may lead to avoid serious complications.

Keywords

• Persistent superior vena cava left
• Abnormal systemic venous return
• CT angiogram
• TTE