Persistent left superior vena cava in cardiac congenital surgery

Surgical management of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome: A 20-year-single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (UCSS) is rare and often associated with the left superior vena cava (LSVC). We report our experience of the clinical features, diagnosis, associated anomalies, surgical procedures, and late outcomes of UCSS during a 20-year period.

METHODS

One hundred and fifty-nine patients with UCSS were treated surgically and followed up between May 1998 and May 2019. UCSS was confirmed by preoperative echocardiography or computerized tomography (CT) scan in 97 patients and by the surgeons intraoperatively in 62 cases, and 100 cases were associated with LSVC. Among these patients, eight cases underwent ligation, and the intracardiac tunnel or baffle was reconstructed in 71 cases to ensure drainage of the LSVC into the right atrium (RA), and the extracardiac procedure was to lead the LSVC into the RA in three patients. Coronary sinus opening was diverted to the RA by the atrial septal patch in three cases. Thirteen patients underwent the reroof procedures, and two patients had untreated LSVC. The associated cardiac lesions were corrected concomitantly.

RESULTS

There were five in-hospital deaths. Follow-up of 143 patients of early survivors was done, and no deaths were reported. No serious complications were observed, with the exception of avulsion of the internal tunnel patch in one patient.

CONCLUSION

UCSS is often misdiagnosed during preoperative evaluation of congenital heart diseases. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography remains the most important method in the diagnosis of UCSS. We adopted multiple surgical approaches to manage the different types of UCSS with LSVC with good results.

Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava - Accidental Finding

BACKGROUND/AIM

The presence of the superior left vena cava represents a rare anomaly of the thoracic venous system.

CASE REPORT

An asymptomatic case of this type of anomaly, discovered as an accident during investigations for a different pathology (superior left pulmonary lobe tumor), is presented. A 56-year-old, heavy smoker was admitted in our clinic with a tumoral mass in the left superior pulmonary lobe discovered during a routine chest x-ray. Physical and clinical examination was normal. However, transthoracic echography noted a coronary sinus enlargement, which led to the suspicion of a thoracic venous anomaly. Contrast chest computed tomography pointed out a venous anomaly at the level of the left hemithorax originating from the cervical region, crossing the aortic arch and draining in the coronary sinus. During the examination, contrast substance was not detected in the right superior vena cava, either early or late during the computed tomography. During surgery the presence of a persistent left superior vena cava was observed, coming from the cervical region, crossing lateral to the aortic arch and draining in the coronary sinus.

CONCLUSION

The presence of an enlarged coronary sinus should warn the surgeon about the possibility of a thoracic venous anomaly. Identifying a persistent left superior vena cava is important due to its clinical implications, especially during certain procedures such as mounting central venous lines, cardiac cannulation or implantation of cardiac stimulators.

Orthotopic heart transplantation with persistent left superior vena cava draining into coronary sinus: the anterior rerouting technique

BACKGROUND

We present a surgical technique for a reconstruction of a persistent left superior vena cava draining into the coronary sinus with orthotopic heart transplantation.

METHODS

Between January 2013 and July 2019, a total of 224 patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation in our institution. Among them, three patients (3/224, 1.3%) had a persistent left superior vena cava draining into the coronary sinus. The persistent left superior vena cava and the coronary sinus was isolated and fully mobilized as an en bloc conduit at the time of explanting the heart. After the standard anastomoses using the bicaval technique, the conduit was routed anterior to the great vessels and anastomosed to the right atrial appendage. A smooth venous drainage into the right atrium from the rerouted persistent left superior vena cava was intraoperatively confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography.

RESULTS

The postoperative course was uneventful in all patients. There were no major postoperative complication and in-hospital mortality. The routed persistent left superior vena cava-coronary sinus conduits were confirmed to be patent without stenosis/obstruction by an enhanced computed tomography. Cardiac biopsies through the reconstructed persistent left superior vena cava were possible without any difficulty.

CONCLUSION

The anterior rerouting technique for a reconstruction of a persistent left superior vena cava draining into the coronary sinus in an orthotopic heart transplantation was feasible and reproducible.

To uncover what is unknown or forgotten - cardiac magnetic resonance in the identification of vascular pathologies in patients after tetralogy of Fallot repair

INTRODUCTION

In patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), various pathologies of the vascular system (both arterial and venous) may be present as a result of the previous therapeutic procedures or due to the congenital disease itself. Because of the limited diagnostic capabilities in the past, lacking surgical reports of patients operated on several decades ago and/or a long time since a corrective procedure, some of these pathologies/anomalies may remain unknown.

AIM

To identify selected vascular pathologies with the use of cardiac magnetic resonance in patients after TOF repair.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We included 208 consecutive patients (median age 24.9 years, interquartile range 20.5-36.7; 126 (60.6%) males) with repaired TOF undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

RESULTS

Significant unexpected vascular pathologies/anomalies were found in 30 patients (14.4%) and included: uni- or bilateral occlusion of the subclavian artery (n = 20), persistent left superior vena cava (n = 7, in 1 case draining into the left atrium), occluded subclavian vein (n = 1), and interruption of the inferior vena cava (n = 2). Additionally, 1 patient with the left subclavian artery occluded had an occlusion of the brachiocephalic vein. In none of the patients was the information about the uncovered pathology/anomaly present either in the referral information or in the present medical history.

CONCLUSIONS

The CMR in patients with repaired TOF may uncover some pathologies/anomalies which were unknown or forgotten at the time of patients' referral for the study, and which may have a significant impact on patient management.