Surgical management of persistent left superior vena cava associated with an absent right superior vena cava

Abstract

A case of persistent left with absent right superior vena cava accompanied with atrial septal defect in a six-year-old girl is presented. This rare venous malformation was diagnosed incidentally during surgery when the pericardium was incised. An L-shape cannula was directly inserted into the left superior vena cava for cardiopulmonary bypass. The atrial septal defect was closed with a fresh autologous pericardial patch. The surgical management of this rare anomaly is the subject of this review.