BACKGROUND Large vessel sarcomas are rare tumours. Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava is the most common. About 300 cases have been reported in the literature. They tend to be large, and not develop metastasis. The prognosis of these tumours is poor. CLINICAL CASE An 81 year-old woman who complained of pain in the right flank, with no other symptoms. Abdominal computed tomography showed...

Fistulas between the luminal gastrointestinal tract and vascular structures can result from a variety of etiologies. While there have been reports of fistulas between the inferior vena cava and the duodenum, we report the first case to our knowledge of a fistula between the jejunum and the inferior vena cava after esophagojejunal anastomosis for recurrent esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Endothelium-dependent relaxations of canine veins isolated from 15 different sites were examined. Acetylcholine (ACh, 10(-10)-10(-6) M) caused marked endothelium-dependent relaxations in the external jugular vein, superior vena cava, brachiocephalic vein, segment A (supradiaphragmatic portion) and D (infrarenal portion) of the inferior vena cava. However, only contractile responses were induced...

The azygos venous system represents an accessory venous pathway supplying an important collateral circulation between the superior and inferior vena cava. The aim of this article is to revise the wide spectrum of changes ranging from normal to pathological conditions involving the azygos system. Teaching points • The azygos vein is a collateral venous pathway, becoming a vital shunt if major pa...

The assessment of the body fluid status is one the most challenging tasks in clinical practice. Although there are many methods to assess the body fluid status of patients, none of them is fully satisfactory in contemporary medical sciences. In the article below, we compare the results of measurements performed by experienced and inexperienced examiners based on the inferior vena cava/aorta dia...

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava is a rare tumour arising from the smooth muscle fibres of the media with a mean size at diagnosis generally around 12 cm (range 2-38 cm). This study compares a 4-cm leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava discovered incidentally with a symptomatic late stage leiomyosarcoma.

Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava are rare. Such anomalies pose great challenges to the surgeon in neuroblastoma surgery, especially when unrecognised preoperatively. We report the first case of an abdominal neuroblastoma detected in a child with a developmental anomaly of the left-sided inferior vena cava. The patient underwent surgical resection after good response to preoperativ...

Angiomyolipomas (AML) are the most common mesenchymal renal neoplasms arising in the cortex or medulla. Intra-renal and retroperitoneal hemorrhages have been frequently reported. AML can exceptionally involve the renal vein and inferior vena cava. We report a case with extension into the inferior vena cava.

Absence of an infrarenal inferior vena cava is an infrequent finding on computed tomography scans and is usually an unexpected, incidental finding. This report concerns a young patient with an absent infrarenal inferior vena cava who presented with abdominal and back pain.