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Prenatal Diagnosis of Absent Right Superior Vena Cava in Referrals for Fetal Echocardiography

  • Review Article
  • Published:
Journal of Fetal Medicine

Abstract

A persistent LSVC with an absent right superior vena cava (RSVC) is unusual, encountered in about 10% of patients with persistent LSVC. We present 14 patients with a prenatal diagnosis of single LSVC and situs solitus, including prenatal findings and information on medium-term follow-up. We identified patients with situs solitus and a persistent LSVC born between March 2004 and March 2020, which had been diagnosed prenatally between December 2003 and November 2019. From this cohort, we identified those with absent RSVC. In the population of women undergoing fetal echocardiography, the prevalence of persistent LSVC in situs solitus was 0.43% (84/19,712). For the 84 identified patients and for the entire population respectively, 14/84 (17%) and 14/19,712 (0.07%) had a single LSVC (absent RSVC). Of 14 patients with a single LSVC, 8 (57%) were male. For the 84 identified patients and for the entire population respectively, 70/84 (83%) and 70/19,712 (0.36%) had bilateral SVCs. For a single LSVC (absent RSVC) and situs solitus, the majority had no associated cardiac, extracardiac, or syndromic abnormalities.

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Acknowledgements

This work would not be possible without the contributions of many. The authors first thank the perinatologists and the perinatal sonographers at the following Nevada maternal-fetal-medicine programs: High Risk Pregnancy Center in Las Vegas and Reno, Desert Perinatal Associates in Las Vegas, UNLV Perinatology in Las Vegas, Healthcare Partners Perinatology in Las Vegas, and Perinatology Associates of Northern Nevada in Reno. We also thank the Clark Country Coroner’s Office and the Department of Health and Human Services for the State of Nevada. Finally, we thank all the fetal cardiologists in Las Vegas and Reno at the Children’s Heart Center Nevada.

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The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Heart Center Nevada, 3006 S. Maryland Pkwy Ste. 690, Las Vegas, NV, 89109, USA

    Ruben J. Acherman, William N. Evans & Humberto Restrepo

  2. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2040 W Charleston Blvd 3rd Floor, Las Vegas, NV, 89102, USA

    Ruben J. Acherman, William N. Evans & Humberto Restrepo

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  1. Ruben J. Acherman
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  2. William N. Evans
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  3. Humberto Restrepo
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Correspondence to William N. Evans.

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Acherman, R.J., Evans, W.N. & Restrepo, H. Prenatal Diagnosis of Absent Right Superior Vena Cava in Referrals for Fetal Echocardiography. J. Fetal Med. 8, 15–19 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40556-020-00279-y

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