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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

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Published on: January 23, 2026
Minimally invasive thoracoscopic ligation of a persistent left superior vena cava
Nora Goebel1, Henning von Loewensprung2, Martin Beyer3
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Robert-Bosch-Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany nora.goebel@rbk.de.
Abstract:
Persistent left superior vena cava draining into the left atrium is a rare congenital venous anomaly, which remains asymptomatic and therefore undetected in most cases. Paradoxical embolization caused by right-to-left shunt is a severe complication and requires surgical correction. We describe the first thoracoscopic approach for ligation of a persistent left superior vena cava even though our patient had severe kyphoscoliosis because of Klippel-Feil syndrome.
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