Congenital absence of IVC with azygous continuation.

It is not uncommon to come across patients who have absence of a segment of inferior vena cava (IVC) with blood draining through collateral channels, but complete absence of IVC with azygous continuation is a rare congenital anomaly. In this condition the blood from the caudal half of the body drains via the paravertebral and azygous venous systems with resultant distention of these veins. Complete absence of IVC with azygous continuation is usually associated with other anomalies like polysplenia, asplenia, persistent left superior vena cava and transposed abdominal viscera 1 and its discovery should prompt a search for these additional congenital defects. We report a case of complete absence of IVC with azygous continuation which was treated conservatively by compression hosiery.