Incidentally Found Absence of the Left Brachiocephalic Vein with Venous Return Through the Left Superior Intercostal Vein in an Adult Patient: Venography and CT Findings
Bo Ra Yoon,
Se Hwan Kwon,
Ji Young Oh,
Hyo-Chul Youn,
Joo Hyeong Oh
Affiliations
Bo Ra Yoon
Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Se Hwan Kwon
Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Ji Young Oh
Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Hyo-Chul Youn
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kyung Hee Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Joo Hyeong Oh
Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
A 63-year-old male patient was referred for venography of the thoracic venous system and multidetector computed tomography (CT) due to the unusual location of the left subclavian catheter tip. His venogram and CT images showed an absence of the left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV). Instead of through the LBCV, the usual venous circulation of neck and left upper limb was carried out by the engorged left superior intercostal vein (LSIV); this subsequently drained into the accessory hemiazygos vein and then the azygos vein that drains into the superior vena cava. Here, we report a rare case of an incidentally found absence of the LBCV with venous return through the LSIV in an adult patient, and we present a brief review of the relevant literature.
