VARIANTS OF THE INFERIOR VENA CAVA AND ITS TRIBUTARIES: THE CLASSIFICATION, EMBRYOGENESIS, CT IMAGING AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN PARA-AORTIC LYMPHADENECTOMY

Defect of the embryogenesis of the three paired cardinal veins and their anastomoses leads to the formation of the inferior vena cava abnormalities. Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and its tributaries are usually asymptomatic. The computed tomographic (CT) imaging with intravenously administered contrast material is used for identification of the vascular structures and abnormalities. Knowledge of the anomalies of the vessels help the surgeons to avoid the development of complications by the para-aortic lymph node dissection in patients with neoplasm’s of the testis, kidney, and female genital tract. This article reviews the classification, embryogenesis, anatomy, CT imaging and clinical significance in para-aortic lymphadenectomy of the variants of the IVC and its tributaries.