Aim
Batson’s venous plexus is a system of paravertebral veins that connect pelvic and thoracic vessels to the intraspinal (basivertebral) veins. It was first described in 1940 to explain a route for spread of metastases and infection that was separate to the lymphatic system. Its role in the retrograde venous spread of malignancy is now well-described, but not widely demonstrated on imaging.
Method & results
We present a detailed pictorial review of imaging of patients from our oncology centre showing retrograde venous spread to the paravertebral vessels specifically in cases of renal, rectal and breast carcinoma.
We demonstrate expansion of the paravertebral vessels containing tumour and associated vertebral body metastases.
We also review and illustrate the spinal venous anatomy.
Conclusion
Radiologists should be aware of the implication of Batson’s venous plexus as a route of metastatic dissemination. Our pictorial review highlights the importance of the paravertebral vessels as a review area.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
This article is published under an open access license. Please check the 'Copyright Information' section either on this page or in the PDF for details of this license and what re-use is permitted. If your intended use exceeds what is permitted by the license or if you are unable to locate the licence and re-use information, please contact the Rights and Permissions team.
About this article
Cite this article
Brook, R., Tung, K. & Oeppen, R. Batson’s plexus and retrograde venous spread of malignancy – a pictorial review. cancer imaging 14 (Suppl 1), P40 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1470-7330-14-S1-P40
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1470-7330-14-S1-P40