The inferior vena cava (IVC) and superior vena cava are the main conduits of the systemic venous circulation into the right atrium. Developmental or procedural interruptions of vena cava might predispose to stasis and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) distal to the anomaly and may impact the subsequent rate of pulmonary embolism (PE). This study aimed to review the various etiologies of developmental or procedural vena cava interruption and their impact on venous thromboembolism. A systematic search was performed in PubMed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines per each clinical question. For management questions with no high-quality evidence and no mutual agreements between authors, Delphi methods were used. IVC agenesis is the most common form of congenital vena cava interruption, is associated with an increased risk of DVT, and should be suspected in young patients with unexpected extensive bilateral DVT. Surgical techniques for vena cava interruption (ligation, clipping, and plication) to prevent PE have been largely abandoned due to short-term procedural risks and long-term complications, although survivors of prior procedures are occasionally encountered. Vena cava filters are now the most commonly used method of procedural interruption, frequently placed in the infrarenal IVC. The most agreed-upon indication for vena cava filters is for patients with acute venous thromboembolism and coexisting contraindications to anticoagulation. Familiarity with different forms of vena cava interruption and their local and systemic adverse effects is important to minimize complications and thrombotic events.
Steatosis is a defining feature of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, evidence that severity of steatosis can predict adverse outcomes in NAFLD or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine whether steatosis assessed by computed tomography (CT) imaging predicts adverse outcomes in diabetic patients at risk for NAFLD/NASH.We studied deaths, liver-related and cardiovascular adverse outcomes in a 5-year retrospective observational cohort of 2343 type 2 diabetic patients in a large care network who had noncontrast CT imaging for clinical indications. We measured steatosis by subtraction of spleen from liver attenuation, a method that showed low sensitivity (0.417) and high specificity (0.882) compared with histopathological scoring. We evaluated outcomes prediction using multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling of steatosis both as a categorical (≥ 30%) and continuous variable.Steatosis ≥ 30% was present in 233 (9.9%) of the cohort at baseline. Over 5 years, there were 372 total deaths, 18 liver-related and 99 cardiovascular deaths, 48 liver transplants, 51 occurrences of hepatic encephalopathy, 41 hepatocellular carcinomas, 653 myocardial infarctions, 66 strokes, 180 occurrences of angina, 735 occurrences of arrhythmia and 772 occurrences of congestive heart failure. Steatosis had no predictive value for any adverse outcome. Patients with steatosis averaged 8 years younger than those without it. Age had a strong covariate influence on occurrence of total deaths, cardiovascular deaths, myocardial infarctions, arrhythmias and congestive heart failure.Although steatosis on imaging is often the abnormality that triggers diagnosis and assessment of NAFLD/NASH, it lacks predictive value for adverse clinical outcomes.