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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Image Acquisition Method for the Sonographic Assessment of the Inferior Vena Cava
Published on: January 13, 2023
Double superior vena cava presenting with anomalous jugular and azygous venous systems
Ainory P Gesase1, Flora M Fabian, David N Ngassapa
1Department of Anatomy/Histology, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. agesase@muchs.ac.tz
Objective:
To report on the double superior vena cava occurring with anomalous azygous vein and abnormal termination of the cardiac veins, which has not been reported before in one individual.
Results:
Examination of the heart revealed the presence of both the right and left superior vena cava. The right superior vena cava terminated into the right atrium and received the right root of the azygous vein, and the left superior vena cava received the left root of the azygous vein before entering the dilated coronary sinus. The azygous vein ascended in the right chest, and at the level of the third thoracic vertebra, it divided into the right and left roots, which joined the respective superior vena cava. Observation of the left lung revealed the presence of both the oblique and horizontal fissures that demarcated the upper, middle, and lower lobes. Dissection of the neck revealed abnormal connection of the superficial veins. The left external and anterior jugular veins opened at the confluence of veins that was drained by the venous arch that passed to the right side of the neck to open into the right external jugular vein.
Conclusion:
The coexistence of double superior vena cava with azygous and superficial jugular venous anomalies is considered to be incidental finding. However, continued documentation of such anomalies is clinically important, and it remains to be important in medical science.
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