Left superior vena cava to the left atrium: Do we have to change the traditional approach?

Left superior vena cava (LSVC) to the left atrium is a rare congenital card iac complex, which may appear as an isolated anomaly, or as part of more co mplex cardiac anomalies. Traditionally, an intraatrial baffle was the prefe rred surgical technique. Although this technique has proved reliable and su ccessful, acute ligation and extracardiac repair are simpler and easier sol utions, requiring less myocardial ischemic time. We present 3 patients who underwent simple ligation and discuss the literature for other extracardiac options of surgical repair. Our patients had short transient congestion in the left upper part of their body that resolved completely after a few wee ks, without further complications. We believe that either acute ligation or extracardiac repair is a much simpler yet effective solution to divert the left caval flow to the lesser circulation. (C) 1999 by The Society of Thor acic Surgeons.