“Dilatation” of the left renal vein on computed tomography in children: A normal variant

Abstract

Compression of the left renal vein (LRV) between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta is thought to be a cause of hematuria, periureteral and gonadal varices, and varicocele (“Nutcracker phenomenon”). Previous investigators have suggested that this diagnosis can be made on computed tomography when the LRV ratio ≥1.5 (the diameter of the LRV proximal to the aorto-mesenteric angle divided by the diameter of the LRV distal to the aorto-mesenteric angle). This study was designed to establish the normal range for the LRV ratio on CT in children. The LRV ratio was measured in thirty-nine consecutive children undergoing intravenously enhanced CT of the abdomen. None of the children had hematuria on urinalysis immediately before or after the CT. Children with any known abnormality involving the kidneys, adrenal glands, IVC, or renal or gonadal veins were excluded. The patients ranged in age from 3.4 to 18.5 years (mean=10.6 years). LRV ratio ranged from 0.78 to 2.00 (mean=1.46; S.D.=0.312). Twenty of the 39 children (51.3%) had a LRV ratio ≥1.50. The conclusion is that the normal range for the LRV ration is too wide for it to be useful in diagnosing LRV entrapment and that a LRV ratio ≥1.5 on CT is normal in children.