Congenital Anomalies of the Inferior Vena Cava and their Clinical Manifestation

Congenital anomalies of IVC are rare. They are seen more often in young males. They are latent for a long time. Peripheral venous thrombosis or CVI are often the first symptoms of a congenital IVC anomaly. We present 5 patients aged 20 to 43 with congenital anomalies of the IVC. The diagnosis and the level of hypoplasia have been determined by compression ultrasonography with color Doppler assessment, spiral computer tomography, pelvic phlebography and retrograde cavagraphy. In three out of five patients the disease presented as a deep venous thrombosis, in two by temperature rise, chills and subsequent edema of both legs. Two patients had hypoplasia of the infrarenal segment of the IVC. Two others had abnormal of infra-, renal and suprarenal regions of the IVC and one had almost complete vena cava aplasia. In case of DVT or CVI, especially in young males, a potential IVC abnormality should be excluded by ultrasonography of the infra-, renal and suprarenal areas of the IVC. In case of recognized abnormalities a spiral CT scan is indicated. Treatment should comprise vasotonic drugs, elastic compression stockings and use of anticoagulants in cases with peripheral thrombosis.