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A rare case of left hepatic vein anomalous drainage to the coronary sinus
Camila Vilela de Oliveira1, Natally Horvat1, Rodrigo Lautert de Azambuja1
1Department of Radiology, Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Rua Dona Adma Jafet, 91, 01308-050 São Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
An extremely rare congenital vascular abnormality, left hepatic vein (LHV) drainage into the coronary sinus (CS), is usually asymptomatic but has surgical implications. Diagnosing this condition preoperatively can prevent intraoperative complications.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Anatomy
- Congenital Abnormalities
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The left hepatic vein (LHV) typically drains into the inferior vena cava.
- Anomalous drainage of the LHV into the coronary sinus (CS) is an exceptionally rare congenital vascular anomaly.
- This condition is often asymptomatic but carries significant surgical implications.
Observation:
- A 90-year-old male patient presented with fatigue.
- Computed tomography (CT) was performed for diagnostic evaluation.
- An isolated anomalous drainage of the LHV into the CS was incidentally discovered during the CT scan.
Findings:
- The patient exhibited an isolated anomalous drainage of the left hepatic vein into the coronary sinus.
- This finding was identified during a preoperative assessment for an unspecified reason.
- The anomaly was diagnosed using computed tomography.
Implications:
- Preoperative diagnosis of LHV drainage into the CS is crucial.
- Early identification can avert potential intraoperative complications during cardiac, vascular, or hepatic procedures.
- Knowledge of this anomaly may influence the choice of surgical approach.
Abstract:
The left hepatic vein (LHV) anomalous drainage into the coronary sinus (CS) is an extremely rare congenital vascular abnormality. It is usually asymptomatic, but it has surgical implications if the patient undergoes cardiac, vascular or hepatic procedures. We report a case of a 90-year-old man who had an isolated LHV anomalous drainage diagnosed on a computed tomography performed to evaluate fatigue. The diagnosis of LHV drainage into the CS during preoperative evaluation can avoid intraoperative complications and may determine the preferred surgical approach.
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