Various anomalies in the development of great thoracic veins of the embryo can be found incidentally in a normal adult. Normally the superior vena cava is a single vascular structure formed by the union of right and left brachiocephalic veins which are in turn formed by the union of corresponding internal jugular and subclavian veins, draining the head and neck as well as the superior extremity.1 A review of the literature since 1887 indicates that this is an addition to 216 cases of double superior venae cava in cadavers.2
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Ramakrishnan et al. (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: