Isolated Drainage of the Inferior Vena Cava to the Left Atrium.

Isolated drainage of either the superior or inferior vena cava to the left atrium is a rare condition. Isolated drainage of the inferior vena cava to the left atrium has been described only by Gardner and Cole (1955) and by Meadows, Bergstrand, and Sharp (1961). The condition leads to a right-toleft shunt in the absence of clinical features of cardiovascular abnormalities. A further case in which the diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization is here put on record. Angiography demonstrated an important alternative venous pathway carrying lower extremity blood to the superior vena cava by the azygos vein. The patient sustained an unfortunate but unusual neurological complication of the investigation and this also is reported.