Left‐sided inferior vena cava

A 41-year-old female presented for a routine ultrasound screening for chronic hepatitis B. Her past medical history was unremarkable, with no prior surgeries or known vascular anomalies. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities. The patient denied symptoms such as abdominal pain, leg swelling, or dyspnea. The ultrasound revealed an inferior vena cava (IVC) crossing from the right side to the left side below the splenic vein. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed the presence of an IVC located to the left of the abdominal aorta. The left-sided IVC ascended and crossed to the right side above the left renal vein (Figures 1 and 2). The patient experienced no significant symptoms or complications directly attributable to this anomaly. The IVC is a vital vascular structure responsible for returning deoxygenated blood from the lower body to the heart. The development of a left-sided IVC is rare but clinically significant, with a prevalence estimated at 0.2% to 0.5% in the general population.1 Although often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally, a left-sided IVC can have important implications for abdominal and thoracic surgeries, venous access, and diagnostic imaging.1 Routine contrast-enhanced CT scans, which can easily diagnose this condition, typically reveal an IVC located to the left of the abdominal aorta, coursing superiorly and crossing to the right side above the left renal vein. Recognizing this condition is essential to avoid misdiagnosis and complications.2 Yang-Yuan Chen: Writing and final approval of this manuscript. Chun- Wei Chen and Chih-Hsuan Chen: Writing of this manuscript. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Informed consent of the patient was obtained before this paper was written.