title: An unusual cause of lumbar pain after physical exercise: Caval vein duplicity and its detection by ultrasound.
abstract: This paper deals with two recent cases of Inferior Caval Vein (IVC) duplicity, congenital anomaly often but not always asymptomatic that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of flank pain when other more common disorders have been excluded. Here are described the clinical and surgical significance together with the typical sonographic findings useful for the diagnosis of IVC duplicity. Particular attention is given to a peculiar and easily repeatable sonographic aspect associated with IVC duplicity, not previously reported in Literature and that we called the "Neptune's sign".
authors.affiliation: Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, "S. Maria della Scaletta" Hospital, Imola, BO Italy.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Nicolò
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, "Vittorio Emanuele Policlinico" Hospital, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zanoli
authors.affiliation: Radiology Unit, "Vittorio Emanuele Policlinico" Hospital, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Figuera
authors.affiliation: Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, "St. Giovanni di Dio" Hospital, Via F. Paradiso 78/a, 95024 Acireale, CT Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Granata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Caval vein duplicity; Color doppler sonography; Congenital anomalies; Inferior vena cava