Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Student Research Case Reports

04 SINGLE ILIAC ARTERY AND DUPLICATED INFERIOR VENA CAVA: A CASE REPORT

Moses, Justin OMS-II; Fleming, Neal OMS-II; Geddes, Elizabeth OMS-II; Joshi, Angelica OMS-II; Lenker, Lea OMS-II; Osuorah, Christina OMS-II; Millard, Jonathan PhD Corresponding author: jmoses@vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

Campus, the following observations were made. The confluence of the common iliac veins with the inferior vena cava was found to be high: at the level of L1. The left common iliac vein coursed posterior to part of the left kidney’s segmental artery and received left renal venous drainage. No true left common iliac artery was identified, as there is no split of the left common iliac artery into internal and external iliac branches. Instead, the “common” iliac artery descends into the pelvis and provides pelvic vasculature before re-emerging from the pelvis to act as the external iliac artery. The lumbosacral trunk and S1 ventral ramus course anterior to this “common” iliac artery while it is descended into the pelvis. Comments: Although numerous reports in the literature describe arterial and venous variations within the pelvic region, there have been few, if any, documented cases of all these variations occurring in combination. Persistence of both the left and right supracardinal veins may have resulted in a duplicated IVC in which the left IVC receives the left renal vein before crossing over the aorta to join with the right IVC. The single iliac arterial vessel, along with its

unusual relationship with the lumbosacral trunk and S1 ventral ramus, may be due to the common iliac artery being derived from the median sacral artery, improper budding, or abnormal segmentation of the lumbar segmental arteries in utero. Compression of the single iliac artery by the lumbosacral trunk and S1 ventral ramus may contribute to ischemic proccesses. Altered venous blood flow from the duplicated IVC could increase risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Context: Anomalies of the pelvic vasculature are rare, but it is necessary to have an understanding of possible variations as these differences pose clinically significant implications in the planning of surgical procedures and other interventions. Embryologically the 5th pair of lumbar intersegmental arteries give rise to the common iliac arteries budding off into internal and external branches. The median sacral artery is a short continuation of the aorta beyond the bifurcation of the common iliac arteries. In regards to venous development, the left supracardinal vein regresses leaving the right supracardinal vein to ultimately become the inferior vena cava, while the remnants of the obliterated posterior cardinal vein become the common iliac veins. The iliocaval junction is most commonly found at the level of L5 and is rarely seen above L4. Report of Case: This case study presents findings in a 74-year-old caucasian female with a medical history significant for congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. During dissection of the posterior abdominal wall and retroperitoneal region, by first year medical students in the gross anatomy lab of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia

Table of Contents

41

2026 Research Recognition Day