Computed tomography ct is not appropriate in the initial evaluation of isolated nonpainful, nontraumatic. Superior mesenteric artery sma syndrome is a rare cause of gastrointestinal obstruction, caused by external compression of the third part of the duodenum by the sma. The syndrome involves the compression or narrowing of the renal vein, which causes the slowing of blood flow from the left kidney. Nutcracker syndrome is diagnosed through imaging such as doppler ultrasound dus, computed tomography ct, magnetic resonance imaging mri, and venography. The roles of the liver and pancreas in renal nutcracker syndrome. Nutcracker syndrome ncs is a syndrome caused by compression of. She was diagnosed in april 2009 after over a year and a half of trying to figure out what was wrong. However, an incidental finding of nutcracker phenomenonsyndrome was made. Axial contrastenhanced ct of the abdomen demonstrated compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery sma and the aorta as the left renal vein crosses midline figure 1. All patients met the criteria for establishing the diagnosis of the nutcracker syndrome. Some people may not have symptoms, while others develop severe and persistent symptoms.
Nutcracker syndrome refers to symptomatic compression of the left renal vein lrv by the aorta and superior mesenteric artery sma. Term of nutcracker syndrome ncs is used for patients with clinical symptoms associated with nutcracker anatomy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of chronic fatigue syndrome attributable to ns in an adult. Nutcracker syndrome, vascular imaging with ultrasound a case report. Dus is the initial choice after clinical suspicion based on symptoms. Nutcracker syndrome is diagnosed through imaging such as doppler. Nutcracker syndrome ncs is a rare entity defined by the symptomatic hypertension of the left renal vein lrv compressed in the majority of cases between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta.
Diagnostic value of computed tomographic findings of nutcracker syndrome. Ncs typically causes intermittent gross hematuria but may be accompanied by microscopic hematuria, proteinuria, or left flank pain. Diagnostic and treatment criteria are not well established, and the natural history of ncs is not. He subsequently underwent left renal vein stent insertion with improvement of both fatigue and abdominal pain. Hematuria was the most common presenting symptom 21 of 23 patients. The nutcracker syndrome is a vascular disorder, but the signs and symptoms are mainly urological or gynecological. It may be associated with the nutcracker phenomenon. The reason why this happens is a medical mystery but it is believed that abnormal organogenesis during fetal life is the. Renal vein entrapment, or more commonly nutcracker syndrome, is a phenomenon occurs when there is an obstruction somewhere along the left renal vein that prevents the circulation from passing through unopposed into the inferior vena cava and eventually, back to the heart. Nutcracker syndrome wikimili, the free encyclopedia. The selection of the imaging modality is a stepwise process. Imaging findings and clinical features of abdominal vascular. A differential diagnosis of haematuria following a motor.
The nutcracker phenomenon left renal vein lrv entrapment syndrome refers to compression of the lrv most commonly between abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric artery. The anteroposterior ap diameter and peak velocity pv were measured at the hilar portion of the left renal vein lrv and at the lrv between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. Nutcracker syndrome, caused by compression of the left renal vein lrv between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta, results in left renal and gonadal venous hypertension. Nutcracker syndrome is a vascular compression disorder that refers to the compression of the left renal vein most commonly between the superior mesenteric artery sma and aorta, although other variations can exist 1 this can lead to renal venous hypertension, resulting in rupture of thinwalled veins into the collecting system with resultant hematuria. Nutcracker syndrome ncs is a syndrome caused by compression of the left renal vein lrv, between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, resulting in hypertension of the lrv and hematuria. Although uncommon, it is an important diagnosis due to the important morbidity associated with it, including the risk of chronic kidney disease from longterm left renal vein lrv hypertension and the risk of lrv thrombosis. When symptomatic, such compressions can result in a variety of uncommon syndromes in the abdomen and pelvis, including median arcuate ligament syndrome mals, maythurner syndrome, nutcracker syndrome, superior mesenteric artery sma syndrome, upj obstruction, ovarian vein syndrome ovs, and other forms of ureteral compression. Ncs refers to a syndrome caused by significant compression of lrv between the abdominal aorta and sma, resulting in hypertension of the lrv and hematuria due to rupture of the thinwalled veins close to the calyceal fornices 10,11.
The nutcracker syndrome left renal vein entrapment, demonstrated by ultrasonic imaging and doppler flow scanning renal manifestations of sickle cell disease view in chinese hematuria has been attributed to the greater length of the left renal vein and the nutcracker phenomenon, in which compression of the left renal vein between. Nutcracker syndrome ncs is a rare vascular compression disorder that involves compression of the left renal vein most commonly between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery sma, although variations exist. Some people may not have symptoms, while others develop severe and. This then presents as abdominal pain and discomfort, or. Nutcracker phenomenon ncp, also known as left renal vein entrapment, is characterized by impeded outflow from the left renal vein lrv into the inferior vena cava ivc due to extrinsic lrv compression, often accompanied by demonstrable lateral hilar dilatation and medial mesoaortic narrowing schematic representation of ncpnutcracker syndrome ncs in figure 1. The original validation trial and multiple subsequent studies stiell 2001, stiell 2005, stiell 2010 each found the cchrs high risk criteria to be 100% sensitive for injuries requiring neurosurgical. Renal vein entrapment the nutcracker syndrome brandon t.
The underlying anatomic anomaly, first described by gant in 1937, can lead to left renal venous. Nutcracker syndrome can be hard for doctors to diagnose, but once its diagnosed, the outlook is often good. Nutcracker syndrome is a variation of nutcracker phenomenon or renal vein entrapment syndrome, in which the arteries near the kidney compress the left renal kidney vein. Nutcracker syndrome renal vein entrapment findings. Ncs is challenging because the diagnostic algorithm and criteria are. Computed tomography ct revealed nutcracker phenomenon. The mild nutcracker syndrome can be witnessed in children during the changes their body undergoes due to growth. In most cases, compression of the left renal vein is between the abdominal aorta the main artery in the abdomen and the superior mesenteric artery, which brings blood. The symptoms vary from asymptomatic hematuria to severe pelvic congestion. For the diagnosis of ncp, several diagnostic tools are applied, but definite diagnostic criteria have not yet been established. This syndrome results most commonly from the compression of the left renal vein between the abdominal aorta aa and superior mesenteric artery sma, although other variants exist. American college of radiology acr appropriateness criteria. Nutcracker syndrome is a vascular compression disorder that refers to the compression of the left renal vein most commonly between the superior mesenteric.
Nutcracker syndrome got its name because the compression of the renal vein is like a nutcracker cracking a nut. The purpose of this study was to evaluate late results of lrv transposition and identify risk factors affecting outcomes. Doppler ultrasonography us has been commonly used for the diagnosis of ncs. Ultrasonography, ct, and mri revealed visible entrapment of the left renal vein between the superior. We report a case of nutcracker syndrome diagnosed with 3dimensional computed tomography angiography 3d cta. Doppler us and ct diagnosis of nutcracker syndrome ncbi. Nutcracker syndrome can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to many other urological and gynecological disorders. One patient presented with orthostatic proteinuria and 1 with pelvic congestion syndrome.
Hematuria, pelvic or back pain and left varicocele are the most commonly symptoms. Images c and d show stent placement ct images in the axial and coronal plane, respectively. This article describes the typical imaging findings and clinical features that are. Ncs typically causes intermittent gross hematuria but may be accompanied by microscopic hematuria, proteinuria, or left flank pain, without. A young female presented to the emergency department following a motor vehicle collision. Nutcracker syndrome definition of nutcracker syndrome by. I just recently had a major surgery for something called nutcracker syndrome. Several treatment options have been described to relieve associated symptoms. To our knowledge, there are few reports in the literature describing the coexistence of these two conditions and so we take this.
Imaging findings and clinical features of abdominal. Renal nutcracker syndrome ncs is a condition that occurs when the left renal vein the vein that carries blood purified by the left kidney becomes compressed. Left renal vein transposition for nutcracker syndrome. She had surgery, which is left renal vein transposition, where. Nutcracker syndrome, vascular imaging with ultrasound longdom. Objective to study the pathophysiology of the nutcracker syndrome and to describe a new method of treatment subjects and methods computerized tomography ct was used to compare the anatomical relations of the left renal vein with the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery in three patients with the nutcracker syndrome and in a control group of 12 healthy kidney donors. Pdf nutcracker syndrome diagnosed with 3dimensional.
Nowadays, with the development of imaging techniques, color doppler sonogram and 3d cta are replacing venography for the diagnosis of nutcracker. In this article, we refer to this heterogeneous group of. We explain the underlying pathophysiology that results in these clinical syndromes so that the patient subset who will benefit from treatment can be identified. Nutcracker syndrome is rare and refers to the symptom complex.
Renal nutcracker syndrome genetic and rare diseases. My daughter has nutcracker syndrome testicular disorders. Doppler us findings in 16 patients with the nutcracker syndrome and in 18 healthy control subjects were compared. There is a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and diagnostic criteria are not well defined, which frequently results in delayed or incorrect diagnosis. She complained of left flank pain and was found to have haematuria. The roles of the liver and pancreas in renal nutcracker. The canadian ct head rule cchr was developed to help physicians determine which minor head injury patients need head ct imaging. Nutcracker syndrome was suspected based on the combination of clinical examination, ultrasound, ct imaging, and mri imaging. Isolated microscopic hematuria is very rarely the presenting scenario of wilms tumor 3.
See more ideas about superior mesenteric artery, pelvic congestion syndrome and superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Nutcracker syndrome refers to the compression of the left renal vein between. Nutcracker phenomenon is a rare cause of haematuria resulting from nontraumatic compression of. Raising awareness for nutcracker syndrome and venous. Degree of left renal vein compression predicts nutcracker. Meissner the nutcracker syndrome is characterized by entrapment and compression of the left renal vein between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery sma figure 1. Doppler ultrasound, computed tomography ct and selective left renal vein phlebography are useful to.
After investigation no trauma related injuries were identified. This article describes the typical imaging findings and clinical features that are associated with four abdominal vascular compression syndromes. The widely used diagnostic method of ncp is renal venography. The nutcracker syndrome ncs is the clinical equivalent of nutcracker. Nutcracker syndrome is rare and refers to the symptom. Once other conditions have been ruled out, your vascular surgeon may recommend imaging tests, like an ultrasound, ct scan, or mri to screen for nutcracker syndrome.
Nutcracker syndrome is a rare condition, but its rarity doesnt make it any less painful or difficult to deal with. Differing views on definitive diagnostic criteria and varied symptomatology have led to sparse epidemiological data in the literature. Diagnosis and surgical treatment of nutcracker syndrome. Other types of ncp are a combination of anterior nutcracker and compression of the third portion of duodenum. Following are the common symptoms that have been studied in the nutcracker syndrome. Common signs and symptoms when the condition shows no symptoms, its usually known.
Nutcracker syndrome had been confirmed by conventional venography until recent years. It is associated with the formation of the left renal vein from the aortic collar during the 6th8th week of gestation and abnormal angulation of the sma from the aorta. The type of nutcracker syndrome in this case report is known as anterior nutcracker 1,2. It was first described in 1950 by elsadr and mina and was named in 1971 1,2,3,4. A computed tomography ct imaging of the abdomen performed at outside institution reported as nutcracker syndrome, and b repeat ct venography to specifically evaluate left renal vein demonstrating no compression. Pain management specialists should include nutcracker syndrome in the differential when the symptoms indicate, and not assume atypical left flank pain is chronic myofascial or due to lower rib pathology. Diagnostic and treatment criteria are not well established, and the natural history of ncs is not well understood. The nutcracker syndrome ncs results most commonly from the compression of the left renal. Abstract background nutcracker phenomenon ncp describes the compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior. Multidetector ct of vascular compression syndromes in the. Nutcracker phenomenon and nutcracker syndrome ncbi.
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