Morphological insights into the topographic architecture of the inferior vena cava

Abstract

Introduction The IVC system is the largest venous collector in the human body. It presents numerous anatomical variants and anomalies, and is involved in a wide range of pathological conditions, which underscores the necessity of a thorough understanding of its normal anatomy. Material and methods Our study on the morphology of the IVC was conducted exclusively using cavographic images obtained from a GE LightSpeed 16 Slice CT scanner. Each morphological landmark analyzed was studied across a characteristic number of cases. Results The level of formation of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in relation to the vertebral column was observed to range between the L3–L4 and L5–S1 intervertebral discs. In 90.28% of cases, the IVC was formed caudal to the termination of the AoA. The interiliac angle measured between 51.0° and 84.2°, while the right cavoiliac angle ranged from 137.7° to 169.2°, and the left cavoiliac angle from 124.1° to 163.1°. The transverse diameter of the IVC varied between 19.02 mm and 29.20 mm. Conclusion Significant differences were occasionally observed between our findings and those reported in the literature, primarily attributable to the sample size used in each study. Many authors attribute such statistical discrepancies to geographic variation, with additional morphological differences reported based on race and even ethnicity. Moreover, these anatomical variants are also influenced by sex and age.