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Current Cardiology Reviews

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-403X
ISSN (Online): 1875-6557

Review Article

Right Heart Catheterization Through Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava, an Extremely Rare Procedure and Review of Current Literature

Author(s): Nattapong Sricharoen, Mohammad Chamsi-Pasha, Ahmed Sami Abuzaid and Abdel Rahman Al Emam

Volume 13, Issue 2, 2017

Page: [106 - 109] Pages: 4

DOI: 10.2174/1573403X12666161028151339

Price: $65

Abstract

Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is encountered occasionally during angiographic procedures. It usually coexists with right superior vena cava and drains to the right atrium through the coronary sinus, but multiple variations are described. Although PLSVC is extensively reported in the literature, there are very few articles addressing right heart catheterization in patients with isolated PLSVC. We present a patient with absent right superior vena cava and PLSVC draining to a dilated coronary sinus diagnosed during right heart catheterization in the setting of pulmonary hypertension. We were able to safely complete the procedure through the right internal jugular vein. Transthoracic echocardiography and chest CT scan were consistent with this finding. Although clinically silent most of the time, undiagnosed PLSVC can lead to catastrophic consequences when the patient undergoes invasive procedures. If PLSVC is suspected, the anatomy of the thoracic venous system must be identified before invasive cardiac procedures.

Keywords: Superior vena cava, cardiac catheterization, assessment, patient outcomes.

Graphical Abstract

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