CROSS-SECTIONAL IMAGING FINDINGS OF INTERRUPTED VENA CAVA INFERIOR ABNORMALITIES AND IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR EMBRYOLOGICAL ORIGINS

Background: We evaluated the presence, prevelance and features of interrupted inferior vena cava(IVC) abnormalities in asymptomatic patients undergoing routine MDCT thoracoabdominal examinations and examined one patient with complex anomaly by using MR venography.

Methods: The IVC abnormalities of the 2000 patients with lung malignacies who underwent routine MDCT were reviewed. The reconstructed MDCT images of all, and MR angiographic/venographic findings of one patient were evaluated.

Result: We found four asymptomatic patients with interrupted IVC. Two patients had double IVC, two of them had right sided but abnormal IVC"s. One patient had azygos/hemiazygos continuation and three patients had azygos continuation of IVC. Retroaortic renal veins, agenesis of the hepatic / renal and suprarenal segment of the IVC and also horseshoe kidney abnormality were detected. All of these findings were discussed with the possible explanation of their embriologic origin.

Conclusion: Noninvasive radiologic imaging (CT) and (MR) allow identification of the IVC abnormalities in asymptomatic patients in routine practice. These abnormalities have to be known and identitifed to prevent misdiagnosis. In patients with malignancies, abnormal vessels should be differentiated from lymph nodes. Interventional radiologists and surgeons should be notified about the presence of these anomalies. (Turkish J Vasc Surg 2007;16(1): 25-30)