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Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava and Inferior Vena Cava Dual Drainage to Coronary Sinus: A Case Report
Susannah Pitt1, Jennifer Chen2, Ammie M White2
1Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.
Insights
This study reports a rare case of persistent left superior vena cava and inferior vena cava anomalies draining into a dilated coronary sinus, diagnosed prenatally. This finding highlights the importance of evaluating systemic venous return in fetal development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Pediatric Cardiology
Background:
- Coronary sinus dilation often stems from congenital systemic venous return anomalies causing volume overload.
- Commonly identified incidentally, these anomalies include persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) malformations.
Observation:
- A rare case involving both PLSVC and IVC anomalies draining into a severely dilated coronary sinus (CS) was observed.
- Diagnosis was achieved via fetal echocardiogram and confirmed postnatally with transthoracic echocardiogram and CT angiography.
Findings:
- This represents the second reported instance of IVC drainage into the CS.
- Crucially, this is the first documented prenatal diagnosis of this combined anomaly.
Implications:
- Prenatal diagnosis of complex systemic venous anomalies is feasible, enabling early intervention.
- Understanding challenging venous anatomy is vital for procedures like central line placement and device implantation.
Abstract:
Dilation of the coronary sinus is often a result of excessive volume overload from congenital anomalies of systemic venous return to the heart. These abnormalities are often discovered incidentally later in life when a patient requires cardiac imaging, cardiac catheterization, or thoracic surgery. The most common abnormality is a persistent left superior vena cava. Inferior vena cava malformation is less common, yet several different anomalies can arise. The presence of persistent left superior vena cava or inferior vena cava anomalies requires further evaluation to rule out congenital heart disease in infants. Knowledge of technically challenging systemic venous anatomy is beneficial prior to procedures necessitating central venous access such as a central line, cardiac catheterization, and intracardiac device implantation. We present an unusual case of persistent LSVC and IVC both draining directly into a severely dilated coronary sinus that was diagnosed by fetal echocardiogram and later confirmed postnatally by transthoracic echocardiogram and computed tomography angiography. To our knowledge this is the second reported case of IVC drainage into the CS and the first case that reports this as a prenatal diagnosis.
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