Key result
Right internal jugular transseptal puncture enables successful left-sided accessory pathway ablation despite interrupted IVC.
Why the study?
Catheter ablation of left-sided accessory pathways typically requires femoral venous transseptal access, which is impractical in patients with congenital interruption of the IVC with azygos continuation.
A right internal jugular vein transseptal approach is a feasible and effective alternative for left atrial access during catheter ablation in patients with an interrupted inferior vena cava.
Feasible alternative for LA access in interrupted IVC; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Catheter ablation of left-sided accessory pathways typically requires femoral venous access with transseptal puncture; however, congenital interruption of the inferior vena cava (IVC) with azygos continuation makes this approach impractical. We report a 20-year-old man with Wolff���Parkinson���White syndrome in whom an interrupted IVC with azygos continuation was discovered during the procedure. After failed attempts using a retrograde aortic approach due to poor catheter stability, left atrial access was successfully achieved via a right internal jugular vein transseptal puncture guided by biplane fluoroscopy alone. A deflectable sheath provided stable mapping and enabled successful ablation of a left free-wall accessory pathway without complications. Postprocedural computed tomography confirmed the venous anomaly. This case highlights the right internal jugular vein transseptal approach as a feasible and effective alternative for left atrial access in patients with interrupted IVC when femoral access is not possible, provided the procedure is performed in experienced centers.
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Ay et al. (2026) studied this question. Right internal jugular vein transseptal puncture enabled successful left atrial access and ablation of left-sided accessory pathway in a patient with interrupted IVC.
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