Imaging Signs of May-Thurner Syndrome in Asymptomatic Patients: Computed Tomography Angiography Analysis of Kidney Donors

Abstract

The current study aimed to evaluate the distance between the right common iliac artery (RCIA) and lumbar vertebra in asymptomatic patients in order to determine whether such distance was statistically correlated with the left common iliac vein (LCIV) diameter (LCIVD) and to investigate if both measures were related to demographic characteristics and anthropometric data, such as sex, age, height, and body mass index (BMI). In this descriptive and uncontrolled anatomic study, data from high-definition computed tomography (CT) angiography images of living kidney donors without a medical history of chronic venous insufficiency or past deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were analyzed. The RCIA crossed over the LCIV in 311 individuals, who were then included in this study. CT scans were reviewed to measure (1) the narrowest space between the RCIA and fifth lumbar vertebral body and (2) the LCIVD. Measures were subjected to normality tests and were divided according to the sex of the study population. Correlations of measures with age, BMI, and height were calculated. Of the 311 patients analyzed, 66.6% (n=207) were female. The mean lumbar vertebral body-iliac artery distance (LVBIAD) was 7.2mm, whereas the mean LCIVD was 8.5mm; both were higher in men (P<0.001). The statistical analysis of LVBIAD and LCIVD distributions revealed no normality pattern (P<0.05). The analysis of the correlation between them showed a weak statistically significant relationship with age. A linear regression model considering the normality percentile interval indicated a strong positive correlation between LVBIAD and LCIVD (R2=0.884). The LVBIAD was <5mm and <3mm in 25% and 5% of asymptomatic individuals, respectively. The LCIVD correlated with the space between the RCIA and lumbar vertebra. The distance between the RCIA and lumbar vertebra and the LCIVD were higher in male subjects and older patients, but did not correlate with BMI and height.