No abstract

Cadaveric dissection by first year medical students is an important educational tool in learning normal anatomy, however dissection also provides the opportunity to discover anatomical variations. During a routine heart dissection of a 61‐year‐old male cadaver the superior vena cava (SVC) was found to be on the left side (LSVC), with an absent right SVC. The right brachiocephalic vein passed from right to left to join the left internal jugular and subclavian veins at the LSVC. Upon removal of the heart, it was found that a portion of the right atrium circumscribed posteriorly to the left atrium, where the LSVC entered and connected to an unroofed coronary sinus. The azygos vein presented on the left with a hemiazygos vein on the right. Discovery of this rare anomaly provides a learning tool by exploring its embryological origins and clinical relevance (such as challenges with surgery and placing central lines).

No abstract