Why the study?
Left-sided inferior vena cava is a rare anatomical variation that may cause diagnostic confusion or contribute to lower extremity deep vein thrombosis.
Left-sided inferior vena cava is a rare anatomical variation that, while often asymptomatic, requires careful identification to avoid diagnostic confusion and minimize procedural risks.
Incidental left IVC with hemiazygos continuation and nutcracker needs CT recognition; leaves open clinical relevance beyond case reports.
Left side transposition of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare anatomical variation formed during its complex embryonic developmental process. We present a 71-year-old female patient with an incidentally identified left-sided IVC in contrast-enhanced computed tomography during gastrointestinal bleeding workup. The left-sided IVC formed a hemiazygos-accessory hemiazygos continuation. A narrowing of the right retroaortic renal vein, consistent with the nutcracker phenomenon, was observed. Left-sided IVC, although asymptomatic in the majority of cases, may act as source of diagnostic confusion or contribute to deep vein thrombosis of lower extremities, especially in younger patients. Care must be practiced to establish a comprehensive diagnosis and minimize procedural risks.
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Kachuee et al. (2025) studied this question.
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