Heart Transplantation in a Patient with Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava

ABSTRACT

A 56-year-old male presented with severe exertional dyspnea and pitting edema in the lower extremities. The pre-operative evaluation demonstrated biventricular dysfunction associated with severe tricuspid valve regurgitation and a persistent left superior vena cava. He was registered as a transplantation candidate, and orthotopic heart transplantation was performed using the standard bicaval technique. The left superior vena cava was connected to the right atrial appendage after the construction of a conduit using the recipient's autologous coronary sinus tissue. One-month postoperatively, computed tomography imagery demonstrated a patent conduit between the left superior vena cava and right atrial appendage.