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Right Testicular Vein Retroperitoneal In Abdomen. Advise?

Posted on Sun, 15 Jul 2012

Question: right testicular vein is retroperitoneal in abdomen.is it visible in its full length from XXXXXXX inguinal ring level to its drainage site inferior vena cava in abdomen on transabdominal ultrasound?

Answered by Dr. Ranjeet Jagdale (13 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for writing in.
It is very difficult to asses intraabdominal course of the testicular vein on Ultrasonography and is probably seen only when its dilated and is very prominent in calibre. However routinely, it is very difficult to see it when it is not dilated or is not tortuous.When dilated , it is well appreciated seen coursing over the right psoas muscle .
However it is very well appreciated on CT venography in which delayed images in venous phase are obtained .
I hope I have answered your query. Please let me know if I can address any more concerns.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli

Follow up: Dr. Ranjeet Jagdale (15 hours later)

THANKS .TI IS VERY HELPFUL..... 1)is it difficult or impossible?experinced radiologist with good ulltrasound machine can see it?...... 2)RT testicular vein has 2 or 3 branches in inguinal canal can these be seen separately and clearly on 3D 64 or 128 slice ct venography?..... 3)veins with diameter of 0.5 mm on 64 slice ct and veins of 0.33mm on 128 slice ct can bee seen.is it right or these values are for arteries?..... 4)is ct venography better than mri venography to see small veins?...... 5)if a patient has mild to moderate pulmonary sarcoidosis but no renal involvement and renal functions are normal.is it safe to have ct venography with iv contrast in that patient?..... 6)can you send me 3Dct venography images or video showing testicular vein and its branches in the region of inguinal canal to my e mail address or here?

Answered by Dr. Ranjeet Jagdale (17 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for reverting.

1) It is difficult but not impossible to visualize a dilated testicular vein, but a normal testicular vein is practically impossible to trace in the abdominal cavity on USG due to its retroperitoneal course.

2) On Multidetector CT venography vessels of approximately 1-2mm dimension can be seen on 64 slice CT so branches of calibre more than this can be easily seen.

3) I am not sure about the visibility of vessels smaller than 1mm.

4) CT venography can pick up veins better than MR venography.

5) Provided renal functions are normal, it is OK to have CT venography, if that investigation is needed, however as in all cases of contrast CT study all patients should be well hydrated before and after the investigation.

6) Am sorry I cannot send you images due to copyright protection.

Hope I have answered your query. Do let me know about any clarifications that you need.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E