Echocardiographic findings in patients with left superior vena cava and dilated coronary sinus.
Three patients with a left superior vena cava draining into a dilated coronary sinus were studied with cardiac catheterization and echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed at operation in two patients. A posterior echo-free space was filled with echoes during injection of contrast medium into the left but not the right arm. This echo-free space was localized to the left atrioventricular groove. This technique established the presence of a left superior vena cava communicating with the coronary sinus and excluded pericardial effusion as the source of the posterior echo-free space.
D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000150:complications; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000002:abnormalities*