Anomalous course of the brachiocephalic vein diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography in a child with left atrial isomerism and right aortic arch
✍ Scribed by Jeffrey A. Towbin; James C. Huhta; Michael R. Nihill
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 360 KB
- Volume
- 15
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0091-2751
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
With the advent of improved imaging techniques using two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography, both normal and abnormal systemic and pulmonary venous courses can be delineated. In the usual case, the left brachiocephalic vein runs in front of the three arterial branches originating from the aortic arch: the left subclavian, left common carotid, and brachiocephalic trunk. There have been rare cases reported, however, describing displacement of the left brachiocephalic vein to a course passing behind the ascending as well as a single echocardiographic report of the left brachiocephalic vein running beneath the aortic arch before communicating with the right brachiocephalic vein.3 Smallhorn et al.3 have previously noted the course of the superior vena cava and infraaortic brachiocephalic vein in seven patients with normal situs (six of whom had right aortic arches) using suprasternal echocardiography. We report a case of anomalous left brachiocephalic vein coursing under a right aortic arch in a child with left atrial isomerism, systemic venous abnormalities, and cyanotic congenital cardiac disease, using 2-D echocardiography and contrast echocardiography .