The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 50, 656-657, Copyright © 1990 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Left superior vena cava: a pitfall in computed tomographic diagnosis with surgical implications
PS Wong and P Goldstraw
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Brompton Hospital, London.
We report 2 cases in which computed tomography of the mediastinum
demonstrated an abnormality originally misinterpreted as lymphadenopathy
but subsequently shown to represent a left superior vena cava.
Misinterpretation may result in errors in optimum treatment and may
complicate surgical exploration of the mediastinum. These 2 cases are
presented to remind radiologists and surgeons of the possibility of this
unusual anatomy.