Published online Nov 6, 2018. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v6.i13.666
Peer-review started: August 1, 2018
First decision: August 24, 2018
Revised: September 9, 2018
Accepted: October 11, 2018
Article in press: October 11, 2018
Published online: November 6, 2018
Ectopic thoracic kidneys are the rarest form of renal ectopia. Moreover, congenital abnormality of a primary anterior inferior vena cava (IVC) located behind the anterior abdominal wall is extremely rare. To date, only one such case has been reported. Herein, we report a rare case of a 55-year-old Chinese male with bilateral thoracic kidneys combined with an anterior IVC, a malformed liver, and a large-round-folds navel. The classification, clinical characteristics, and management options of a thoracic kidney was also summarized by literature review. To our best knowledge, the simultaneous detection of such multiple complex abnormalities has not been reported.
Core tip: We described an unusual case of bilateral thoracic kidneys combined with anomalies of the inferior vena cava, liver, and navel in this article. The classification, clinical characteristics, and management options of a thoracic kidney was also summarized by literature review.