• Ghada Shiekh Eldin, Milad El-Segaier, and Mohammed Omer Galal.
• Department of Paediatric Cardiology, PSHC, King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Libyan J Med. 2013 Oct 8; 8 (1): 2167921679.

BackgroundPersistent left superior vena cava (LSVC) is one of the common anomalies of the systemic veins. Its prevalence is 0.1-0.3% in the general population and is more common with congenital heart disease (CHD). The importance of detecting persistent LSVC prior to cardiac surgery is paramount for systemic veins cannulations.AimThe aim was to evaluate the prevalence of persistent LSVC in patients with CHD in Saudi Arabia.MethodsAll patients referred to our institution had echocardiography. All complete studies were reviewed for the presence of persistent LSVC. A computerized database was created including the demographic data, CHD diagnoses, and the presence of persistent LSVC.ResultsA total of 2,042 were examined with an age range of 1 day to 16 years. The complete echocardiographic studies were 1,832 (90%) of whom 738 (40%) patients had CHD. The prevalence of persistent LSVC in patients with CHD was 7.8% (OR 9.26, 95% CI 4.7-18.2, p<0.001). The most common cardiac defect associated with persistent LSVC was complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD); all patients with AVSD had Down syndrome. The total number of patients with AVSD was 41, and persistent LSVC was found in 11 (26%) of them (odds ratio 5.1, 95% CI 2.4-10.8, p<0.001).ConclusionsThe prevalence of persistent LSVC in the current population is almost double the reported prevalence obtained using the same echocardiographic screening tool.

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