Abstract
Purpose
Renal vein anomalies are usually asymptomatic embryological developmental disorders. If unidentified, they can lead to significant morbidity during surgical explorations. This study aims to evaluate the type, frequency, clinical importance of renal vein anomalies in patients scanned with Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT). It was also investigated whether renal vein anomalies are associated with malignancies or their types.
Methods
Abdominal MDCT images of 8517 patients were examined retrospectively. Renal vein anomaly types, gender, age, and symptoms were recorded. Renal vein anomalies were divided into three subgroups as retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV), circumaortic left renal vein (CLRV), and double right renal vein (DRRV). The presence of malignancy and their types in patients with renal vein anomalies were noted. Malignancies were divided into five subgroups as lung, gastrointestinal system (GIS), genitourinary system, breast, and others.
Results
156 patients had renal vein anomaly (1.8%). The prevalence of RLRV, CLRV, and DRRV were 1.1%, 0.3%, and 0.2%, respectively. Renal vein anomalies were more frequent in females. Malignancy was present in 89 (57.1%) out of 156 renal vein anomaly patients. Among these 89 patients, RLRV was found in 52 (58.4%), CLRV in 22 (24.7%), and DRRV in 15 (16.8%) patients. The presence of malignancy was present in more than half of the renal vein anomaly patients but there was no significant correlation (p = 0.1). This high ratio is probably due to the high number of cancer patients undergoing CT scan in our radiology department.
Conclusions
Renal vein anomalies are rare conditions, however, coexistence of renal vein anomalies and malignancies is not. An awareness of this entity before retroperitoneal surgeries is very important in order to avoid complications such as hemorrhage, transfusion, death, or conversion to open surgery.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
Please contact the corresponding author for data request.
Abbreviations
- MDCT:
-
Multidetector computed tomography
- CT:
-
Computed tomography
- RLRV:
-
Retroaortic left renal vein
- CLRV:
-
Circumaortic left renal vein
- DRRV:
-
Double right renal vein
- GIS:
-
Gastrointestinal system
- IVC:
-
Inferior vena cava
- IV:
-
Intravenous
- MPR:
-
Multiplanar reconstruction
- ca:
-
Carcinoma
References
Mathews R, Smith PA, Fishman EK and Marshall FF (1999). Anomalies of the inferior vena cava and renal veins: Embryologic and surgical considerations. Urology 53(5):873-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0090-4295(99)00007-2
Dilli A, Ayaz UY, Kaplanoglu H, Saltas H and Hekimoglu B (2013). Evaluation of the renal vein variations and inferior vena cava variations by means of helical computed tomography. Clinical imaging 37: 530-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2012.09.012
Koc Z, Ulusan S, Oguzkurt L, Tokmak N (2007). Venous variants and anomalies on routine abdominal multi-detector row CT. Eur J Radiol 61(2):267-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrad.2006.09.008
Tatar I, Töre HG, Celik HH and Karcaaltıncaba M (2008). Retroaortic and circumaortic left renal veins with their CT findings and review of the literature. Anatomy 2: 72-6. https://doi.org/10.2399/ana.08.072
Klemm P, Fröber R, Köhler C and Schneider A (2005). Vascular anomalies in the paraaortic region diagnosed by laparoscopy in patients with gynaecologic malignancies. Gynecol Oncol 96(2):278-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2004.09.056
Moore KL (1998). The developing human clinically oriented embryology. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, p.352-5. https://books.google.com.tr/books?hl=tr&lr=&id=OTaBDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Moore+KL.+&ots=GnEJxavl4A&sig=4FGcPjCk9VBxt_lCNLg6W3WbCc4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Moore%20KL.&f=false
Karaman B, Koplay M, Ozturk C, et al (2007). Retroaortic Left renal vein: Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography Findings and Its Clinical Importance. Acta Radiologica 48(3):355-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/02841850701244755
Royal SA and Callen P (1979). CT Evaluation of Anomalies of the Inferior Vena Cava and Left Renal Vein. AJR 132:759-63. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.132.5.759
Reed MD, Friedman AC, Nealey P (1982). Anomalies of the left renal vein: analysis of 433 CT scans. J Comput Assist Tomogr 6: 1124-6. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004728-198212000-00013
Trigaux JP, Vandroogenbrock S, De Wispelaere JF, Lacrosse M, Jamart J (1998). Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava and left renal vein: evaluation with spiral CT. J Vasc Interv Radiol 9: 339-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1051-0443(98)70278-7
Satyapal KS, Kalideen JM, Haffejee AA, Singh B, Robbs JV (1999). Left renal vein variations. Surg Radiol Anat 21: 77-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01635058
Hoeltl W, Hruby W, Aharinejad S (1990): Renal vein anatomy and its implications for retroperitoneal surgery. J Urol 143:1108-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-5347(17)40199-6
Heidler S, Hruby S, Schwarz S, Sellner-Zwieauer Y, Hoeltl W and Albrecht W (2015). Prevelance and incidence of clinical symptoms of the retroaortic left renal vein. Urol Int 94: 173-6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000367697
Yesildag A, Adanir E, Köroglu M, Baykal B, Oyar O, Gülsoy UK (2004). Incidence of left renal vein anomalies in routine abdominal CT scans. Tanı Girisim Radyol 10(2):140-3 https://www.dirjournal.org/eng/makale/857/53/Full-Text
Dilli A, Ayaz UY, Karabacak OR, Tatar IG, Hekimoglu B (2012). Study of the renal variations by means of magnetic resonance imaging. Surg Radiol Anat 34: 267-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0833-7
Cuéllar i Calàbria H, Quiroga Gómez S, Sebastià Cerqueda C, Boyé de la Presa R, Miranda A, Àlvarez-Castells A (2005). Nutcracker or left renal vein compression phenomenon: multidetector computed tomography findings and clinical significance. European Radiology 15: 1745–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2688-y
Shindo S, Kubato K, Kojima A, et al. (2000). Anomalies of inferior vena cava and left renal vein: risks in aortic surgery. Ann vasc Surg 14: 393-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s100169910071
Hayashi M, Kume T, Nihira H (1980). Abnormalities of renal venous system and unexplained renal hematuria. J Urol 124: 12-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-5347(17)55268-4
Brener BJ, Darling RC, Frederick PL, Linton RR (1974). Major venous anomalies complicating abdominal aortic surgery. Arch Surg 108:159-65. https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1974.01350260019004
Parikh SJ, Peters JC, Kihm RH (1981). The anomalous left renal vein: CT appearance and clinical implications. J Comput Tomogr 5: 529-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-936x(81)90086-2
Bartle EJ, Pearce WH, Sun JH, Rutherford RB (1987). Infrarenal venous anomalies and aortic surgery: avoiding vascular injury. J Vasc Surg 6: 590-3. https://doi.org/10.1067/mva.1987.avs0060590
Benedetti-Panici P, Maneschi F, Scambia G, Greggi S, Mancuso S (1994). Anatomic abnormalities of retroperitoneum encountered during aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 170(1):111-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(94)70394-9
Funding
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.
Informed consent
As a retrospective analysis, informed consent in this study was waived.
Research involving human participants and/or animals
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This retrospective study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine (2019/394).
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
Özgül, E. Evaluating incidence and clinical importance of renal vein anomalies with routine abdominal multidetector computed tomography. Abdom Radiol 46, 1034–1040 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02716-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02716-y