Abstract
Hepatic “hot spots” in anterior paraumbilical hepatic segments of patients suffering from superior vena cava syndrome may be revealed by angio-computed tomography. They may be due to a collateralizing system, the epigastric-paraumbilical venous system (EPVS), which enters the liver as a “third inflow”. We report a typical case emphasizing the role of the ensiform and inferior Sappey’s veins which constitute typical anatomic components of the EPVS.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Carpenter S, Tomich J, Young D, Johnson L (2015) Focal hepatic uptake along the falciform: false positive for malignancy on 18F-FDG-PET in a lymphoma patient with superior vena cava obstruction. Radiol Case Rep. 9:e00031
Casullo J, Zeng H, Belley G, Artho G (2018) CT of the paraumbilical and ensiform veins in patients with superior vena cava or left brachiocephalic vein obstruction. PLoS ONE 13(4):e0196093
Coulier B (2015) Uncommon CT imaging of the hepatic falciform artery in patients presenting with very unusual variants of gastrointestinal arteries: report of two cases. Surg Radiol Anat 37:527–533
Genchellac H, Yilmaz S, Ucar A et al (2007) Hepatic pseudolesion around the falciform ligament: prevalence, aberrant venous supply, and fatty infiltration evaluated by multidetector computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. J Comput Assist Tomogr 31:526–533
Ibukuro K, Fukuda H, Tobe K, Akita K, Takeguchi T (2016) The vascular anatomy of the ligaments of the liver: gross anatomy, imaging and clinical applications. Br J Radiol 89:20150925
Loukas M, Tobola M-S, Tubbs R-S et al (2007) The clinical anatomy of the internal thoracic veins. Folia Morphol (Warsz) 66:25–32
Maldjian P-D, Ghesani N (2008) Focal increased activity in the liver on 18F-FDG PET scan secondary to brachiocephalic vein and superior vena cava obstruction. J Thorac Imaging 23:275–277
Mihaylovich Gordionok D, Dmitrievich Denisov S (2020) Caval-portal anastomosis via Sappey superior veins with pseudolesion in segment IV a of the liver: a case report. Surg Radiol Anat 42:1421–1423
Vummidi D, Bhargava P, Medverd J-R et al (2015) Pseudolesion in segment IV A of the liver from vein of Sappey secondary to SVC obstruction. Radiol Case Rep 5:394
Yoshimitsu K, Honda H, Kuroiwa T et al (2001) Unusual hemodynamics and pseudolesions of the noncirrhotic liver at CT. Radiographics 21:S81–96
Acknowledgements
Not applicable.
Funding
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
BC is the sole author and corresponding author of the manuscript. BC was the sole contributor for protocol/project development, data collection or management, data analysis, manuscript writing/editing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declare that he has no conflicts of interest concerning this article.
Ethics approval
The retrospective study was performed with approval of the institutional ethical board; the author certifies that all data and figures have been completely anonymised.
Consent to participate and consent for publication.
Not applicable.
Code availability.
Not applicable.
Availability of data and material
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Coulier, B. Hepatic “hot-spot” on angio-computed tomography: the role of inferior Sappey’s and ensiform veins. Surg Radiol Anat 43, 1349–1352 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-021-02699-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-021-02699-5