Absent infrarenal inferior vena cava
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At the time the article was created Mohammed Al Khader.O.Thabet had no recorded disclosures.
View Mohammed Al Khader.O.Thabet's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.
View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures- Absent infrarenal IVC
- Absent infrarenal inferior vena cava (IVC)
An absent infrarenal inferior vena cava can be congenital, due to the failure of development of the posterior cardinal and supracardinal veins, or acquired, as a result of intrauterine or perinatal inferior vena cava thrombosis.
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Epidemiology
It is an extremely rare anomaly.
Clinical presentation
The patient may present with symptoms of lower extremity venous insufficiency or idiopathic deep venous thrombosis, particularly in younger patients.
Radiographic features
The non-invasive modalities of choice are contrast enhanced CT or MRI, which are preferred to ultrasound. The gold standard is venography, sometimes performed for surgical planning.
General features include:
- absent infrarenal inferior vena cava with preservation of the suprarenal segment
- common iliac veins may be absent
- external and internal iliac veins drain into the ascending lumbar veins, which drain into the azygos-hemiazygos system
- collateral paraspinal circulation may be present
References
- 1. Bass JE, Redwine MD, Kramer LA et-al. Spectrum of congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava: cross-sectional imaging findings. Radiographics. 2000;20 (3): 639-52. doi:10.1148/radiographics.20.3.g00ma09639 - Pubmed citation
- 2. Kandpal H, Sharma R, Gamangatti S et-al. Imaging the inferior vena cava: a road less traveled. Radiographics. 2008;28 (3): 669-89. doi:10.1148/rg.283075101 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Iqbal J, Nagaraju E. Congenital absence of inferior vena cava and thrombosis: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2008;2 (1): 46. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-2-46 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 4. Queiroz AB, Campos Júnior W, Puech-Leão P, De Luccia N. Absence of the infrarenal inferior vena cava. (2015) Journal of vascular surgery. 62 (6): 1641. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2014.05.003 - Pubmed
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