Intravascular lipoma of the inferior vena cava and left renal vein.

ABSTRACT

Intravenous lipoma of the inferior vena cava is an incidental finding on contrast-enhanced computed tomography in 0.5% of individuals. We report a case of multiple intravenous lipomas discovered during diagnosis of cholangitis in a 39-year-old woman. Imaging revealed three fatty masses that appeared connected by cordlike structures one in the left renal vein with wide mural attachment and two in the inferior vena cava, the higher of which was mobile. We hypothesize that these originated as a single lipoma that subsequently divided into three distinct masses. Because mobile masses may cause pulmonary thromboembolism, surgery is recommended in these cases.