VEINS OF RETZIUS AT CT DURING ARTERIAL PORTOGRAPHY - ANATOMY AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

PURPOSE: To classify the veins of Retzius demonstrated at computed tom ography (CT) during arterial portography (CTAP) on the basis of anatom ic location and to evaluate the relationship between the frequency of CT visualization and associated disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The au thors reviewed axial CTAP scans from 130 patients. Patients were class ified into one of two groups: patients with liver cirrhosis (group 1 [ n = 81]) and patients without liver cirrhosis (group 2 [n = 49]).RESUL TS: The pathways of the veins of Retzius were classified as follows: ( a) The ileocolic vein drained into the inferior vena cava (IVC) or the right renal vein through the right gonadal vein (n = 61); (b) the pan creaticoduodenal vein drained into the IVC (n = 8); (c) the proximal b ranches of the superior mesenteric vein drained into the left. gonadal vein(n = 6); and (d) the ileocolic vein drained directly into the IVC (n = 5). The veins of Retzius were demonstrated in 41 (51%) of the 81 patients in group 1 and 26 (53%) of the 49 patients in group 2. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. C ONCLUSION: the veins of Retzius were demonstrated at CTAP in approxima tely 50% of patients with and 50% of patients without liver cirrhosis.