Abstract
Purpose
To observe a case of congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt and discuss it from the embryological and clinical viewpoints.
Methods
An 85-year-old female cadaver was employed for a dissection course at Aichi Medical University in 2009.
Results
There was no evidence of liver cirrhosis macroscopically or microscopically. A portosystemic shunt was observed that involved communication between the inferior mesenteric vein, inferior vena cava (IVC), and left ovarian vein by a single Y-shaped shunt vessel.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the above-mentioned three veins being connected by a single Y-shaped shunt vessel. Considering the other venous diameters, the shunt appeared to flow into the splenic vein and IVC. It cannot be denied that this shunt may have led to hepatic encephalopathy, although the shunt effect may have been minimal. Embryological development of IVC appears to occur close to the plexus of anastomosing vitelline veins, forming the portal vein.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Dr. Ken Asamoto, Dr. Keiichi Ohta, Dr. Yusuke Ohmichi, and Dr. Munekazu Naito for their constructive suggestions and comments. This work was supported by Aichi Medical University Aitachibana Association, grant number AMU-AARF-2010007.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Takeuchi, H., Takeda, Y., Takahashi, M. et al. A rare congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt affecting the inferior mesenteric vein, inferior vena cava, and left ovarian vein. Surg Radiol Anat 36, 729–732 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1230-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-013-1230-1