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Integrated Cardiothoracic Imaging with MDCT pp 289–305Cite as

Left Superior Vena Cava

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Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

Abstract

The left-sided superior vena cava (LSVC) is the most frequent abnormality of the systemic venous return, with prevalence of 0.1–0.5% in the general population and up to 12.9% in patients with congenital heart disease. The persistence of a LSVC results from failure of involution of the left anterior cardinal vein. Right-sided SVC and LSVC co-exist together in 80%–90% of cases. LSVC usually drains into a dilated coronary sinus, but it can also drain less frequently into the left atrium, and thus be responsible for a right-to-left shunt or even a left-to-right shunt with important clinical implications. MDCT is the method of choice to differentiate LSVC from other veins that may present with a vertical course through the left side of the mediastinum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Liege, 4000, Liege 1, Belgium

    Thierry Couvreur & Benoît Ghaye

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  1. Thierry Couvreur
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  2. Benoît Ghaye
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  1. Department of Radiology C.H.R.U. de Lille, Höpital Calmette, Boulevard du Prof. J. Leclercq, 59037, Lille Cédex, France

    Martine Rémy-Jardin MD, PhD (Professor) & Jacques Rémy MD (Professor) (Professor) &  (Professor)

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Couvreur, T., Ghaye, B. (2009). Left Superior Vena Cava. In: Rémy-Jardin, M., Rémy, J. (eds) Integrated Cardiothoracic Imaging with MDCT. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72387-5_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72387-5_20

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