title: Proposal for a new classification of variations in the iliac venous system based on internal iliac veins: a case series and a review of double and left inferior vena cava.
abstract: There are many reports on variations in the inferior vena cava (IVC), particularly double IVC (DIVC) and left IVC (LIVC). However, no systematic report has recorded iliac vein (IV) flow patterns in the DIVC and LIVC. In this study, we examined IV flow patterns in both DIVC and LIVC observed during gross anatomy courses conducted for medical students and in previously reported cases. During the gross anatomy courses, three cases of DIVC and one case of LIVC were found in 618 cadavers. The IV flow pattern from these four cases and all other previously reported cases can be classified into one of the following three types according to the vein into which the internal iliac vein drained: the ipsilateral external IV; confluence of the ipsilateral external IV and IVC; and the communicating vein, which connects the IVC and the contralateral IVC or its iliac branch. This classification, which is based on the internal IV course, is considered to be useful because IV variations have the potential to cause clinical problems during related retroperitoneal surgery, venous interventional radiology, and diagnostic procedures for pelvic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Medical Education Center, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan. sho5-884@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Munekazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terayama
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyaki
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukuzawa
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007084:Iliac Vein / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000002:abnormalities*