title: Surgical repair of inferior sinus venosus defects: a novel approach with unsnared inferior vena cava.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inferior sinus venosus defects (SVD) are very rare and difficult to image from transthoracic echocardiography. Surgical errors were occasionally reported in the repair of inferior SVDs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The authors have operated on 12 inferior SVD patients using bicaval cannulation with unsnared inferior vena cava (IVC) and proved successful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This technique guaranteed a better exposure of surgical field and facilitate identifying the anatomical relationship between lower part of the SVD and IVC orifice, thus avoiding postoperative IVC - left atrial shunt and other surgical mistakes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37th, 610041, Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China. 784440238@qq.com.
authors.forename: Fushun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China. hxyyth@qq.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37th, 610041, Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China. XijunXiao@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Xijun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D004452:Echocardiography; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*