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Left-sided SVC

Case contributed by Jeremy Jones
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Post cardiac surgery. Difficulty ventilating.

Patient Data

Age: 3 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Previous cardiac surgery. Right-sided pneumothorax. Left-sided SVC (left IJV line). 

Case Discussion

Post-surgical appearances in this child with a right pneumothorax. The left-sided presumed IJV line descends into the chest on the left of midline. The most common cause of this (especially where venous blood is aspirated from the line!) is a left-sided SVC. In a child with evidence of cardiac surgery, the likelihood of variant vascular anatomy is increased.

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