RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of left sided inferior vena cava (IVC). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The authors carried out the standard dissection survey of939 embalmed cadavers between 1974 and 2008. RESULTS: The authors encountered a case of left sided IVC in a male donated cadaver aged 65 years at decease. The IVC formed behind the left common iliac artery at the L5 vertebra and coursed proximally on the left of the aorta until it reached the left renal vein and then crossed anterior to the abdominal aorta to assume the normal right side. At the point of crossing, it received the left renal vein. The right renal vein emptied into the IVC on the right side. CONCLUSION: In the era of laparoscopic urological surgery, preoperative diagnosis of this uncommon but important entity is essential to prevent unwarranted surgical mishaps.