Superior vena cava
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Bashir O, Hacking C, MacManus D, et al. Superior vena cava. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 03 Dec 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-16483
Permalink:
rID:
16483
Article created:
21 Jan 2012,
Omar Bashir
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Omar Bashir had no recorded disclosures.
View Omar Bashir's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
15 times, by
9 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Sections:
Synonyms:
- SVC
- Superior vena cava (SVC)
- Superior venae cavae
- Superior vena cavas
The superior vena cava (SVC) is a large valveless venous channel formed by the union of the brachiocephalic veins. It receives blood from the upper half of the body (except the heart) and returns it to the right atrium.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
The superior vena cava begins behind the lower border of the first right costal cartilage and descends vertically behind the first and second intercostal spaces to drain into the right atrium at the superior cavoatrial junction (at the level of the third costal cartilage). Its lower half is covered by the fibrous pericardium, which it pierces at the level of the second costal cartilage 1.
Tributaries
- azygos vein
- small veins draining the pericardium and other mediastinal structures
Relations
- left lateral: aortic arch, trachea
- right lateral: pleura, right upper lobe, right phrenic nerve
- anteriorly: thymus, manubrium
- posteriorly: azygos vein
- superiorly: brachiocephalic veins, superior thoracic aperture
- inferiorly: pericardium, right atrium
Variant anatomy
- brachiocephalic veins: drain into the right atrium separately
- SVC duplication
- left sided SVC
- aberrant tributaries: right upper lobe pulmonary veins drain into the SVC in cases of supracardiac partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR)
Related pathology
References
- 1. Standring S, Gray H. Gray's anatomy, the anatomical basis of clinical practice. Churchill Livingstone. (2008) ISBN:0443066841. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Rosse C, Gaddum-Rosse P. Hollinshead's textbook of anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (1997) ISBN:0397512562. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Sushilkumar K. Sonavane, Desmin M. Milner, Satinder P. Singh, Ahmed Kamel Abdel Aal, Kaushik S. Shahir, Abhishek Chaturvedi. Comprehensive Imaging Review of the Superior Vena Cava. (2015) RadioGraphics. doi:10.1148/rg.2015150056
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- Inferior thyroid vein
- Intravascular lipoma
- Tricuspid valve stenosis
- Right upper lobe consolidation
- Coronary arteriovenous fistula
- Saddle pulmonary embolism
- Fontan procedure
- Ventriculoatrial shunt
- Phrenic nerve
- Transverse pericardial sinus
- Vasa vasorum
- Internal iliac vein
- Azygos vein
- Central venous catheter
- Mediastinum (ITMIG classification)
- Superior vena caval duplication
- Left paramediastinal catheter position (differential)
- Cardiac valves
- Azygos venous system
- Atrial septum
Cases:
- Hepatic hot spot sign
- Sinus venosus atrial septal defect with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return
- Brachiocephalic venous stent
- Azygos continuation of inferior vena cava
- Intravascular lipoma of superior vena cava
- Truncal venous development (Gray's illustration)
- Left SVC draining to the left atrium
- Left-sided superior vena cava
- Sternoclavicular joint dislocation
- Bovine aortic arch / right internal mammary vein drains into the superior vena cava
- Azygos continuation of the inferior vena cava
- Superior vena cava invasion and obstruction
- Iatrogenic superior vena cava injury with pericardial contrast leak
- Persistent left superior vena cava
- Thrombus around central venous catheter tip
- Great vessels (Gray's illustration)
- Septic pulmonary emboli and chest wall abscess
- Right internal thoracic vein draining to superior vena cava
- Caval variants (illustrations)
- Double superior vena cava
Related articles: Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- lower respiratory tract
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- innervation of the heart
- development of the heart
- cardiac wall
-
pericardium
- epicardium
- epicardial fat pad
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- myocardium
- endocardium
-
pericardium
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- arterial supply of the thorax
-
thoracic aorta (development)
-
ascending aorta
-
aortic root
- aortic annulus
-
coronary arteries
- coronary arterial dominance
- myocardial segments
-
left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- ramus intermedius artery (RI)
-
circumflex artery (LCx)
- obtuse marginal branches (OM1, OM2, etc))
- Kugel's artery
-
left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
-
right coronary artery (RCA)
- conus artery
- sinoatrial nodal artery
- acute marginal branches (AM1, AM2, etc)
- inferior interventricular artery (PDA)
- posterior left ventricular artery (PLV)
- congenital anomalies
- sinotubular junction
-
aortic root
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
-
ascending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- venous drainage of the thorax
- superior vena cava (SVC)
- inferior vena cava (IVC)
-
coronary veins
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- bronchial veins
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics of the thorax
- innervation of the thorax
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