A CASE OF DOUBLE SUPERIOR VENAE CAVAE WITH PAIRED AZYGOS VEINS

Abstract

A case of double superior venae cavae with completely paired azygos veins was found in a 76-year-old Japanese man during an ordinary dissection by medical students at Nara Medical University in 2000. The left superior vena cava was formed by the union of the left internal jugular vein and the left subclavian vein, coursed vertically downward along the thoracic aorta, and entered the coronary sulcus. The vein ran horizontally toward the right in the coronary sulcus and opened into the right atrium. A typical left brachiocephalic vein was not found. The left superior vena cava was the same size as the right one, without communication between them. Paired azygos veins were present.