Balloon control of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava: a novel technique for renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombus

Renal cell carcinoma has a tendency to extend via the renal vein into the inferior vena cava (IVC), and we describe a novel approach to this situation. A 64-year-old male presented with metastatic right renal cell carcinoma and tumor thrombus extending into the retrohepatic IVC. Preoperative imaging revealed a large hemangioma adjacent to the IVC, potentially complicating hepatic mobilization. Instead, we used a compliant balloon to occlude the suprahepatic IVC, securing the wire in the right hepatic vein. With the infrarenal IVC and left renal vein occluded, the thrombus was extracted via a right renal venotomy/partial cavotomy with minimal bleeding. Balloon occlusion of the suprahepatic IVC offers a safe alternative to surgical control of this vessel in difficult situations. In addition, it allows for nephrectomy through a conventional, small retroperitoneal incision rather than the extended exposure needed for the IVC. Hepatic vein positioning of the wire prevents thrombus manipulation during balloon placement.     

肾癌伴Ⅳ级下腔静脉癌栓非体外循环辅助下的手术治疗

目的探讨肾癌伴Ⅳ级下腔静脉癌栓,在癌栓未进入右心房及未侵犯下腔静脉壁的情况下,非体外循环辅助下的手术治疗。方法对肾癌伴Ⅳ级下腔静脉癌栓患者6例,采取非体外循环辅助下实施标准的根治性肾切除和腔静脉癌栓取出术。结果手术均获得成功,未出现大出血及肺梗塞,术后肾功能正常。随访1例Ⅲ期T3CN1M0型术后16个月CT检查发现肺转移,术后18个月死亡。5例随访18个月,均未发现肿瘤复发和远处转移。结论肾癌伴Ⅳ级下腔静脉癌栓,采取非体外循环辅助下的手术治疗是安全可行的方法之一。     

Tumor Thrombectomy Without Bypass for Low-Grade Malignant Tumors Extending into the Inferior Vena Cava: Report of Two Cases

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) rarely extends into the inferior vena cava (IVC). Two cases of ESS extending into the IVC were encountered. In the first case a low-grade sarcoma and cavography revealed the tumor thrombus to extend to just below the left renal vein from the right internal iliac vein, and the IVC was patent. A tumor thrombectomy was accomplished to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) and to achieve a good prognosis. The second case was also a low-grade sarcoma. Abdominal computed tomography scanning revealed a large thrombus extending into the IVC just below the hepatic vein. A tumor thrombectomy with an IVC resection was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful for both cases. Aggressive surgical treatment is thus recommended to excise a tumor thrombus with or without an IVC resection in patients with ESS of low-grade malignancy extending into the IVC to prevent sudden death due to PE.     

Transabdominal Surgical Approach in the Management of Renal Tumors Involving the Retrohepatic Inferior Vena Cava

Multiple reports over the last decade have documented the clear superiority of surgery over other alternative treatments in the management of renal cell carcinoma with extension into the inferior vena cava (IVC). Controversy persists, however, regarding the management of tumor thrombus that extends retrohepatically, but not entering the right atrium. In this report, we retrospectively review our experience with the use of a feasible transabdominal technique without any form of bypass or anticoagulation for safe removal of renal tumor involving the retrohepatic IVC. From 1988 to 1998, 132 patients with renal cell carcinoma underwent radical nephrectomies at the urology service of our hospital. Five patients (3.8%) had retrohepatic venous extension through the renal vein into the IVC. Our transabdominal approach was accomplished by complete mobilization of the liver, control of the hepatocaval connection, total vascular exclusion of the IVC without heparin administration, removal of the tumor thrombus, and primary closure of the longitudinal vena cavotomy. From our results, we found the transabdominal approach with total vascular exclusion of the IVC to be satisfactory, with no early deaths, acceptable morbidity, and a remarkable limitation of blood loss and transfusion requirements.     

Foley尿管在肾癌合并下腔静脉癌栓中的应用

目的探讨应用Foley尿管在肾癌合并下腔静脉癌栓肾癌根治术时取出癌栓的效果。方法2001年10月~2008年6月收治肾癌合并腔静脉癌栓患者15例,肾癌根治术术中应用Foley尿管取出癌栓11例,其中Ⅲ型癌栓5例,Ⅳ型癌栓6例。术中先游离肾脏及肾动、静脉,结扎肾动脉,游离出对侧肾静脉及癌栓上下的腔静脉并阻断,在患肾对侧的腔静脉壁纵行剪开3~4 cm,插入Foley尿管,气囊内注入20 mL生理盐水,用Foley尿管将癌栓牵出腔静脉外,取下患肾和癌栓,阻断腔静脉进行缝合。结果11例手术顺利,全部将癌栓完整取出,手术时间3~5 h,出血量200~1 000 mL。结论肾癌合并腔静脉癌栓在肾癌根治术中用Foley尿管取出癌栓可避免开胸或体外循环,减少手术损伤,疗效良好。     

Techniques for Avoidance of Sternotomy and Cardiopulmonary Bypass During Resection of Extensive Renal Cell Carcinoma with Vena Caval Tumor Thrombus Extension Above the Diaphragm

Abstract   Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a commonly encountered malignancy in urology. Extensive RCC may frequently invade the renal vein and the inferior vena cava (IVC). In advanced cases, this tumor thrombus may grow cephalad up to the level of the right atrium. The mainstay of surgical treatment for such lesions remains resection of all possible tumor burden. Current techniques for resection of supradiaphragmatic RCC tumor thrombus in the IVC incorporate cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, especially in cases where the thrombus reaches the right atrium. We report a safe technique using a transabdominal approach to such lesions that allows exposure to the level of the intrapericardial IVC and right atrium permitting safe resection of the tumor thrombus without median sternotomy, CBP, or deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.     

Renal pelvic cancer with tumor thrombus in the vena cava inferior: a case report

We report a case of right renal pelvic cancer with tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava. A 65-year-old man with right flank abdominal pain and high fever was reffered to our hospital. Computed tomography showed right renal mass. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed tumor thrombus extending into the renal vein and the inferior vena cava. Preoperative diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma with vena caval thrombus. Radical nephrectomy with thrombectomy and lymphodenectomy was performed. Pathologic evaluation revealed transitional cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus into the vena cava. One course of M-VAC chemotherapy was added and he has been alive for 56 months without recurrence. A literature review of 15 cases of renal pelvic cancer with tumor thrombus in the vena cava in Japan revealed that 7 cases were diagnosed as renal cell carcinoma preoperatively.     

Metastatic tumor of the spermatic cord from renal cell carcinoma

A 56-year-old male visited our hospital with macroscopic hematuria. Physical and X-ray examinations showed he had right renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombosis in the inferior vena cava and the right spermatic vein. Radical nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy were performed and he was discharged with no evidence of disease 1 month after the operation. At 5 months after the discharge, he noticed a palpable mass in the scrotum. Right orchiectomy was performed. The tumor was located in the right spermatic cord and histological examination revealed it to be a renal cell carcinoma (clear cell subtype) which was a metastatic lesion from a right renal tumor. In this case, the renal cell carcinoma was considered to have retrogradely metastasized through the spermatic vein. In conclusion, a complete physical examination, including the spermatic cord is recommended during the follow-up period of renal cell carcinoma.     

Resection of inferior vena cava tumor thrombi from renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma is an unusual cancer with the propensity to invade not only the renal vein but to propagate into the inferior vena cava (IVC) as a tumor thrombus. Experience has recently confirmed that MRI will be valuable in evaluating the extent of the tumor thrombus. The surgical techniques used to remove the thrombus are dependent on the extent of the cancer. For lesions involving the infrahepatic IVC, only proximal and distal control of the IVC are necessary. For a thrombus involving the intrahepatic IVC, isolation of the suprahepatic IVC, hepatic circulation, and infrahepatic IVC or cardiopulmonary bypass can be used. For the large thrombus in the supradiaphragmatic IVC or atrium, cardiopulmonary bypass either with or without deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is appropriate. In a review of 48 cases with renal cell carcinoma with IVC tumor thrombi, the tumor thrombus was removed intact in 58 per cent and in multiple fragments ("piece-meal") in 42 per cent of the patients. Cardiac bypass has been used in 26 cases with 22 undergoing deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. The postoperative mortality of 48 cases between 1965 and 1987 was 4 per cent. Removal of the most complicated and extensive renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombi is now technically feasible. In patients with large tumor thrombi, however, the ultimate outlook remains poor in the absence of effective systemic adjuvant therapy.     

Vaginal mass with urinary incontinence: a rare presentation

To our knowledge, there are only few published cases of benign renal AML presenting with tumor thrombus in females. We present a new case of this uncommon complication of a benign renal tumor.Epithelioid angiomyolipoma is a recently described rare variant of renal angiomyolipoma.It can occur in patients with or without tuberous sclerosis, and may potentially bemalignant. Benign renal angiomyolipoma (AML) rarely presents with evidence of extension into the renal vein, inferior vena cava (IVC) or atrium. We report a case of a benign renal AML with a tumor thrombus extending into the IVC in a 46-year-old female who presented with right-sided flank pain associated with a right sided abdominal mass. Right Radical nephrectomy with IVC tumor thrombectomy was done. Patient is totally asymptomatic. At 1 month after surgery, an abdominal ultrasound showed no evidence of thrombus within the IVC. CT scan of the abdomen at 3 months post-operatively showed no evidence of recurrence. Surgical treatment of angiomyolipoma with IVC thrombus is warranted in view of risk of malignancy and to prevent tumor embolus to the heart or lungs.     

Case of bilateral renal cell carcinoma with the tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava

We describe a case of bilateral renal cell carcinoma with the tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava. A 71-year-old male was admitted to our department for, careful examination of bilateral renal tumors. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral solid enhanced renal masses with the tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the left renal vein. The renal tumor did not reveal distant metastatic lesions. We enforced two-term operation for bilateral renal tumor. First, right nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy in the IVC were performed. On the 32th day after the first operation, we performed left nephrectomy. On the second day after the last operation, the patient received hemodialysis. The histopathological diagnosis revealed bilateral renal cell carcinomas. At 9 months after the last operation, the patient had multiple bone metastases, multiple liver metastases and multiple lung metastases.     

Transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis forming tumor thrombus in the vena cava

A 47-year-old man presented with a left renal incidentaloma without hematuria. The tumor was complicated by inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombus extending from Th11 to L4. A temporary IVC filter was introduced prior to surgery. A midline incision was used to perform a left radical nephrectomy and en bloc lymphadenectomy with excision of the inferior vena cava from above the level of the left renal vein to 2.5 cm above the confluence of the common iliac veins. The pathological diagnosis was invasive transitional cell carcinoma. The tumor thrombus consisted of transitional cell carcinoma that histologically invaded the walls of the IVC. He died of cancer 17 months after the operation for the liver metastases. This is the 18th case report of such a presentation in the literature.     

A case of metastatic tumor of spermatic cord from renal cell carcinoma

A 51-year-old man was admitted with the complaint of left scrotal swelling (11 x 5 x 5 cm). He had undergone left nephrectomy and removal of tumor thrombus in inferior vena cava due to renal cell carcinoma. Nine months after the nephrectomy, left scrotal enlargement was noticed. Left high orchiectomy was performed on January 20, 1988. A clear cell carcinoma was present in spermatic cord and pampiniform plexus histologically but testis and epididymis were intact. Renal cell carcinoma seemed to disseminate retrograde through the spermatic vein to spermatic cord. The metastatic tumor of spermatic cord from renal cell carcinoma is very rare and this case is the fifth case in the Japanese literature.     

经腹手术取出下腔静脉及右心房肾癌癌栓

目的:探讨在非体外循环下,经腹手术取出转移至下腔静脉及右心房内的肾癌栓的效果。方法:采用肝移植术中背驮式游离肝脏的技术,在充分暴露肝后下腔静脉的前提下,将右心房内癌栓挤至膈肌以下,纵形切开下腔静脉取除。结果:成功取出长13cm、直径3cm的癌栓,术中出血600ml。随访30个月,患者恢复正常工作,肝肾功能正常。结论:经腹游离肝脏后,可取出高达膈肌以上的下腔静脉和右心房内的癌栓,操作要点是减少术中出血并防止癌栓脱落。     

Inferior vena cava on left side with left renal cell carcinoma

A case of unilateral inferior vena cava (IVC) on the left side with left renal cell carcinoma and two polar veins is presented. Preoperative computerized tomogram (CT) and angiogram showed IVC on the left side and tumor thrombus in the left renal vein; that information was helpful during radical nephrectomy.     

Recidive of renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombus in inferior vena cava via lumbar vein

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) develops tumor thrombus in the renal vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) in 10% of cases. Surgical treatment is radical nephrectomy and thrombectomy of the IVC. Local recidive can develop in the lumbar fossa, lymph nodes, and the IVC. We report a 58-year-old patient admitted to the Clinic for Urology at the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia, in February 2009 with RCC of the left kidney and tumor thrombus in the IVC. After ultrasonography exam and multislice computed tomography scan, we performed radical nephrectomy and thrombectomy of the IVC (level II). Four months after the operation, ultrasound exam and cavography showed intracaval and paracaval recidive tumor masses in the renal part of the IVC. On operation we removed intraluminal IVC thrombus, which arises from the lumbar vein on the IVC posterior wall, with paracaval thrombus in the lumbar vein. We conclude that RCC tumor thrombus can spread from the kidney to the IVC through the lumbar vein.     

Inferior vena caval thrombus associated with double neoplasms of the retroperitoneum and kidney: Report of a case

We report herein the case of a patient we recently encountered who was found to have a giant retroperitoneal tumor coincident with tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC). On the assumption that the origin was retroperitoneal, the two lesions were resected using an intracaval filter. However, histopathological examination of the specimens revealed neurilemoma for the retroperitoneal tumor and adenocarcinoma for the tumor thrombus. A right renal tumor was subsequently detected, which led to right nephrectomy being performed en bloc with part of the IVC using a venoarterial bypass. Microscopy revealed carcinoma of the Bellini duct, or collecting duct, which is an extremely rare tumor. Retrospectively, a lesion with soft tissue density was noted in the renal vein. Surgical management focused on the prevention of pulmonary embolism. We describe this case because of its extreme rarity and its significance from the viewpoint of diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.     

Combined resection of a tumor and the inferior vena cava: report of two cases

Tumor resection and caval tumor thrombectomy, with or without cavotomy and inferior vena cava (IVC) replacement are sometimes performed in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extending into the IVC or liver tumors invading the IVC. Two such cases were treated. Case 1: a 68-year-old female was transferred with a diagnosis of right RCC with tumor thrombus extending into the IVC. A plication was performed to prevent extension into the right atrium before the nephrectomy and cavotomy with removal of the tumor thrombus was accomplished, because the IVC was almost completely obstructed and the hemodynamics were stable during cross-clamping of the IVC. Case 2: a 37-year-old female was transferred with a diagnosis of a giant metastatic liver tumor. A trisegmentectomy with resection of the invaded IVC and IVC replacement was performed while the abdominal aorta was cross-clamped to maintain the hemodynamics. Therefore, abdominal aortic cross-clamping was convenient to maintain the hemodynamics when the IVC replacement was performed during IVC cross-clamping.     

单一体位机器人腹腔镜肝后下腔静脉癌栓取出术的初步体会

目的:探讨单一体位机器人辅助腹腔镜肝后下腔静脉癌栓取出术的可行性和安全性。方法:回顾性分析2015年12月至2020年8月郑州大学第一附属医院收治的6例行单一体位机器人辅助腹腔镜肝后下腔静脉癌栓取出术患者的临床资料。男5例,女1例;平均年龄58(46~74)岁。平均体质指数24.6 (20.6~28.2) kg/m ...     

Surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus in inferior vena cava

Removal of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extended into the inferior vena cava (IVC) can be a difficult operation. Between 1941 and 1989, 110 RCC patients were treated with radical operation and examined for tumor thrombus histopathologically. Twenty nine (26.3%) patients had invasion into the returning vein of tumor (Stage Vla), 12 (10.9%) in renal vein (stage Vlb) and the remaining 4 (3.6%) into IVC (stage V2). In one patient who had surgery under extracorporeal circulation, a thrombus was extended into the right atrium. In the remaining three patients, the RCC was confined to a small portion of the IVC and operated by caval sleeve resection. Radical operation in such patients free of any distant metastasis, may raise the survival rate.