Among 7,620 cattle necropsied at the Miyazaki University, the complete-type left cranial vena cava was detected in 76 (1.0%) cases. Of 89 cases of the complete-type left cranial vena cava including 13 collected at the other public institutions, 82 had double cranial vena cava and 7 showed absence of the right cranial vena cava. In 78 out of 82 double cranial vena cava the left cranial vena cava opened into the right atrium via a coronary sinus. Of the remaining 4 cases, 3 showed absence of the coronary sinus, and their left cranial vena cava drained into the left-sided atrium and the right one into the right-sided atrium. In last one the coronary sinus received the left cranial vena cava and opened into right and left atria. In 4 of 7 cases having single cranial vena cava on the left side the left cranial vena cava drained into the left-sided morphological right atrium, while in 3 the left cranial vena cava drained into the right-sided morphological right atrium via a coronary sinus. Among 7,620 cattle, the partial-type left cranial vena cava was detected in 135 (1.8%) cases. In 130 of them the left costocervical vein connected with the left azygos vein and drained into the coronary sinus. In 2 cases the common stem of the left costocervical and left internal thoracic veins connected with the left azygos vein. In other 2 the left internal thoracic vein connected with the left azygos vein. The last one was absent left azygos vein and its left costocervical vein took direct drainage to the coronary sinus. The atrial situs inversus, right aortic arch, absent coronary sinus and cervical ectopia cordis were often associated with the left cranial vena cava.
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