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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2022; 32(03): 355-364
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744522
Review Article

Developmental Anomalies of the Inferior Vena Cava and its Tributaries: What the Radiologist Needs to Know?

Mansi Verma 
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Niraj Nirmal Pandey 
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Vineeta Ojha
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Sanjeev Kumar
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Sivasubramanian Ramakrishnan
2   Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Inferior vena cava (IVC) can be involved by a wide gamut of developmental anomalies owing to its complex embryogenesis. Developmental anomalies of the IVC are not infrequent, seen in approximately 8.7% of the general population. Although most of the anatomical variations are asymptomatic, identification of these variations is important before planning any vascular surgery or interventional procedure in relation to the IVC to avoid inadvertent complications. Conventional venography has largely been replaced by noninvasive cross-sectional imaging modalities for detecting IVC abnormalities. Ultrasonography, often used for initial evaluation, is highly operator-dependent and the infrarenal part of IVC is often obscured by bowel gases. While magnetic resonance imaging is devoid of radiation risks, its use is limited due to limited availability and the frequent need for sedation. Computed tomography (CT) venography plays a pivotal role in the detection of these anomalies as it has an excellent spatial resolution along with availability of multiple postprocessing tools such as multiplanar reconstruction with generation of maximum intensity projection and volume-rendered images. This pictorial review focuses on the embryogenesis of IVC, various developmental anomalies of the IVC and its tributaries, their appearance on CT venography and conceivable clinical relevance.

Keywords

computed tomography - developmental anomalies - inferior vena cava


Publication History

Article published online:
31 July 2022

© 2022. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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