Anomalous drainage of the great cardiac vein into the le ft atrial appendage: a two-case report

Abstract

Coronary venous system anomalies are rare cardiac structural variants that are mostly detected incidentally in clinical practice. The great cardiac vein (GCV) normally drains into the coronary sinus via the valve of Vieussens, returning venous blood to the right atrium. Its direct drainage into the left atrial appendage (LAA) is an extremely rare anomaly reported in only a few cases in the literature. In this report, we present two female patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for chest pain complaints and in both of whom anomalous drainage of the GCV into the LAA was incidentally detected. Recognition of this rare anomaly by CCTA is emphasized as critically important for predicting thromboembolic and arrhythmic complications and for planning cardiac interventional procedures.