title: Right-sided superior vena cava draining into the left atrium: a rare anomaly of systemic venous return.
abstract: The most commonly encountered systemic thoracic venous anomaly is a persistent left superior vena cava that drains into the right atrium via the coronary sinus. A much rarer systemic venous anomaly is that of isolated anomalous drainage of a normally positioned right superior vena cava (RSVC) into the left atrium (LA). This has been reported in approximately 20 patients with the diagnosis usually being made by cardiac catheterization. We report the case of a toddler with asymptomatic hypoxemia resulting from anomalous drainage of a normal RSVC into his LA. This was diagnosed non-invasively by contrast-enhanced chest CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California Davis, Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
authors.forename: Shadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aminololama-Shakeri
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wootton-Gorges
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Pretzlaff
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D003287:Contrast Media; D004452:Echocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000002:abnormalities*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media