March 2007 Vol 7 Isuue 1 FINAL without suicide .indd


Double Inferior Vena Cava

*Anupam K Kakaria

االجوف املزدوج الوريد

كاكاريا كومار انوبام

 SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY MEDICAL JOURNAL
APRIL 2007 VOL 7, NO. 1
SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY©

 I N T E R E S T I N G  M E D I C A L  I M A G E

*Department of Radiology,Armed Forces Hospital, P.O. Box 726, PC 111, CPO Seeb, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Email: bittanupam@yahoo.om

Figure 1: The right (black arrowhead) and the left 
common iliac veins (white arrowhead) fail to unite 
at the level of the aortic bifurcation

Figure 2: The two inferior venae cavae (white 
arrowheads) ascend on both sides of the aorta

THE PATIENT IS A 42 YEAR OLD FEMALE. SHE is a chronic carrier of hepatitis B virus and is on regular follow up for the same. The com-
puted tomography was done to look for a suspicious 
area in the liver, detected on a routine ultrasound of the 
abdomen. The liver examination was normal. Inciden-
tally, a congenital anomaly of the inferior vena cava was 

detected. The two common iliac veins failed to unite
at the level of the aortic bifurcation. The two venae ca-
vae ascend on both sides of the aorta. The left inferior
vena cava drains into the left renal vein. The left renal
vein crosses anterior to the aorta to form the normal 
right prerenal inferior vena cava. The prevalence of this
anomaly is 0.2%-3%.1 This arrangement of the left renal



A N U PA M  K  K A K A R I A

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Figure 3: The left IVC (white arrowhead) drains 
into the left renal vein (white arrow)

Figure 4: Coronal oblique reformat shows the right 
IVC (white arrowhead) and left IVC (black arrow) 
ascending on both sides of the aorta. The left IVC 
crosses over to the right IVC through the left renal 
vein (white arrow)

vein crossing anterior to the inferior vena cava to form 
normal right prerenal inferior vena cava is the com-
monest arrangement in the duplication of inferior vena 
cava.1

R E F E R E N C E S

1. Bass JE, Redwine MD, Kramer LA, Huynh PT, Harris JH. 
Spectrum of congenital anomalies of the inferior vena 
cava: cross sectional imaging findings. Radiographics
2000; 20:639-652