Fig. 2

Clinical importance and different drainage sites of PLSVC and possible anatomical changes. a, b Posterior-anterior (PA) chest X-ray (a), and sagittal-oblique reformatted CT image (b) of different patients depict the course of central venous catheters inserted into the PLSVC (red arrows) draining into the right atrium via the coronary sinus (blue star). c CT imaging performed to evaluate the cardiac anatomy and possible variations of pulmonary veins draining to the left atrium (LA) before the radiofrequency catheter ablation in a patient with atrial fibrillation. The three-dimensional volume rendering technique (3D VRT) image shows that PLSVC (red arrow), which is detected incidentally, drains to the coronary sinus (CS). d Coronal-oblique maximum intensity projection CT image indicates PLSVC (red arrow), which indirectly drains into the left atrium via the left upper pulmonary vein (blue arrow). e Sagittal-oblique reformatted CT image shows PLSVC (red arrow) draining into the left atrium via the unroofed coronary sinus (blue arrows). Since ASD (not shown) is also present, the findings are compatible with Raghib syndrome. f Sagittal-oblique maximum intensity projection CT image demonstrates that the coronary sinus is connected to the left atrium with an aberrant vein as a collateral drainage pathway in a patient with coronary sinus ostial atresia (not shown). Thus, PLSVC (red arrow) drains into the left atrium through the coronary sinus (red star) and interatrial aberrant vein (blue arrow). g, h Axial CT (f) and 3D VRT images with different views (g, h) indicate the coronary sinus aneurysm (blue arrows) in a patient with PLSVC (red arrow) draining into the coronary sinus