The nutcracker syndrome: an underrecognized cause of hematuria

Anterior Nutcracker syndrome in a young male patient: a case report and review of literature

Introduction and importance

The left renal vein (LRV) is affected by a venous compression syndrome called Nutcracker syndrome (NCS). This syndrome is characterized by extrinsic compression of the LRV, which usually occurs between aorta and superior mesenteric artery. It is a rare and under-diagnosed condition, more prevalent in females and that, if left untreated, can lead to severe problems. There are no clear guidelines regarding management. Therefore, the authors report this rare case and its symptoms in male patient and they display current management options.

Case presentation

NCS was observed during computer tomography in a male patient presented with persistent left flank pain and associated haematuria. Ultrasound for left scrotum demonstrated left moderate-sized varicocele. The left varicocele testis unit was 1.6 mm and during the Valsalva manoeuvre in the supine position the testis unit was 2 mm. LRV compression between abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric artery was identified by computer tomography imaging and therefore, diagnosis of NCS was confirmed.

Clinical discussion

The actual prevalence is unclear, and incidence rates have been observed to fluctuate among age group and more prevalent in women. Main symptoms include haematuria, left flank discomfort, varicocele in men, proteinuria and anaemia. Depending on severity of symptoms, management might range from conservative care to surgery.

Conclusion

This treatment strategy was effective in reducing the symptoms of the patients. In young patients, conservative treatment is advised for a fair amount of time. However, more studies on how much the authors should wait before considering surgery is important.

Combined superior mesenteric artery syndrome and nutcraker syndrome presenting as acute pancreatitis: a case report

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome designates compression of the third part of the duodenum between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta. This condition has a low incidence, being more common in thin young women. Nutcracker syndrome is compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta. Both entities are rare, and their coexistence has been reported in a few cases. Conservative treatment targeting weight gain is sufficient in most cases. An association between the superior mesenteric artery syndrome and acute pancreatitis has rarely been reported. We intend to describe the case of an 18-year-old girl who was admitted to the emergency room with epigastric pain and emesis. Our investigation revealed acute acalculous pancreatitis. During work-up, we discovered superior mesenteric artery syndrome and a compressed left renal vein. The patient is on conservative treatment, and her symptoms have improved.

Bibliometric and visual analysis of research on nutcracker syndrome from 1974 to 2021: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

At present, researchers have obtained fruitful results in the study of nutcracker syndrome (NCS), but there is still a lack of systematic research on the overall status of this disease. This article aims to describe the past and current status of research into NCS, and predict future research trends and popular research topics.

METHODS

Using bibliometric and visualization methods, 552 articles related to NCS collected from the Scopus database from 1974 to 2021 were analyzed from multiple perspectives.

RESULTS

Overall, the amount of literature related to NCS is on the rise every year, and the number of citations is the turning point in 2006. The United States has the largest number of publications and has the most extensive cooperation with other countries. The main contents of the co-authored study focused on the symptoms, surgical procedures, and concomitant diseases of NCS. Keywords such as peak velocity, ultrasonography, orthostatic proteinuria, etc appeared earlier, whereas diagnosis, chronic pelvic pain, endovascular stents, etc appeared later.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature utilization rate of NCS is relatively insufficient. The pathogenesis and pathological mechanisms need to be further studied, and the diagnostic criteria and surgical methods will continue to be favored by clinicians.

Combined Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome and Nutcracker Syndrome in a Young Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Patient: Male, 18-year-old

Final Diagnosis: Superior mesenteric artery syndrome

Symptoms: Abdominal pain

Medication:—

Clinical Procedure: —

Specialty: Surgery

What Each Clinical Anatomist Has to Know about Left Renal Vein Entrapment Syndrome (Nutcracker Syndrome): A Review of the Most Important Findings

Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is the most common term for compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta. The development of NCS is associated with the formation of the left renal vein (LRV) from the aortic collar during the sixth to eighth week of gestation and abnormal angulation of the superior mesenteric artery from the aorta. Collateralization of venous circulation is the most significant effect of NCS. It includes mainly the left gonadal vein and the communicating lumbar vein. Undiagnosed NCS may affect retroperitoneal surgery and other radiological and vascular procedures. The clinical symptoms of NCS may generally be described as renal presentation when symptoms like haematuria, left flank pain, and proteinuria occur, but urologic presentation is also possible. Radiological methods of confirming NCS include Doppler ultrasonography as a primary test, retrograde venography, which can measure the renocaval pressure gradient, computed tomography angiography, which is faster and less traumatic, intravascular ultrasound, and magnetic resonance angiography. Treatment can be conservative or surgical, depending on the severity of symptoms and degree of LRV occlusion. Nutcracker syndrome is worth considering especially in differential diagnosis of haematuria of unknown origin.

Micro- and macroscopic hematuria caused by renal vein entrapment: systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Hematuria secondary to renal vein entrapment is mentioned only passing in textbooks and reviews.

METHODS

We performed a search of the National Library of Medicine database for peer-reviewed publications using the terms "renal vein" or "nutcracker" and "hematuria".

RESULTS

We identified 187 published reports/studies that covered 736 patients, of whom 288 had microscopic hematuria and 448 had macroscopic hematuria. The patient cohort comprised 159 patients aged ≤17 years. Abdominal pain was absent in  approximately 65% of all patients, and a clinically relevant left-sided varicocele was observed in 29% of the male patients. A normal pre-aortic left renal vein and an anomalous anatomy were noted in 680 and 56 patients, respectively. The body mass index (BMI) was lower in patients with renal vein entrapment than in the controls, with a regression of hematuria correlating with an increase in BMI. A surgical procedure was attempted in 34% of the patients, of which the most common were endovascular stenting and transposition of the renal vein distally into the vena cava.

CONCLUSIONS

In cases of unexplained hematuria with or without abdominal pain, clinicians should consider the diagnosis of renal vein congestion, especially in males with varicocele. Ultrasonic Doppler flow scanning is the recommended initial diagnostic modality in these patients. Expectation management is advised in the great majority of cases.

Anterior Nutcracker Syndrome with Left Gonadal Vein Varicosities on Multiphasic Computed Tomography: An Unexpected Cause of Pyeloureteral Junction Obstruction

The anterior nutcracker syndrome is defined by the compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and superior mesenteric artery, usually related to the occurrence of hematuria. We report the case of an uncommon complication of the nutcracker syndrome. A 75-year-old woman was referred to our institution for left flank pain without hematuria. Multiphasic computer tomography urography showed a condition of left renal vein entrapment between the aorta and superior mesenteric artery with the development of left gonadal vein varicosities at the level of the renal hilum; a pyeloureteral junction compression with dilation of the pyelocalyceal system coexisted. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the association between nutcracker syndrome and pyeloureteral junction obstruction.

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome accompanying with nutcracker syndrome: a case report

Introduction:

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome is an uncommon cause of duodenal obstruction, and its manifestations are generally associated with compression on the third part of the duodenum between the abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric artery.

Case Presentation:

In this report, a patient is described presenting with epigastric pain and weight loss due to superior mesenteric artery syndrome. The patient has also nutcracker syndrome, which is the compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery at its origin.

Conclusions:

In addition to an appropriate clinical history, CT findings indicating decreased aortomesenteric angle and a shortened aortomesenteric distance can suggest the diagnosis for both the superior mesenteric artery syndrome and accompanying nutcracker syndrome.

Association of congenital left renal vein anomalies and unexplained hematuria: multidetector computed tomography findings

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether congenital renal vein anomalies are involved in the etiology of hematuria by analyzing abdominal multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) results.

METHODS

Six hundred and eighty patients undergoing MDCT for various abdominal pathologies in whom possible causes of hematuria were excluded were retrospectively assessed in terms of left renal vein anomalies, such as circumaortic left renal vein (CLRV), retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV) and multiple renal vein (MRV). Patients with CLRV, RLRV or MRV and patients with normal left renal veins were compared in terms of the presence of hematuria.

RESULTS

Left renal vein anomalies were detected in 100 patients (14.7%). RLRV, CLRV and MRV were identified in 5.4, 2.5 and 6.8% of patients, respectively. Hematuria was determined in 8.1% of patients with an RLRV anomaly and in 10.5% of patients with no RLRV anomaly (p=0.633). Hematuria was detected in 23.5% of patients with a CLRV anomaly and 10.1% of those without (p=0.074), and in 21.7% of patients with an MRV anomaly and 9.6% of those without (p=0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to increasing risk of complication during retroperitoneal surgery, numeric congenital renal vein anomalies are also significant in terms of leading to clinical symptoms such as hematuria.

Nutcracker Syndrome Accompanying Pelvic Congestion Syndrome; Color Doppler Sonography and Multislice CT Findings: A Case Report

Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is a rare pathology, caused by compression of the left renal vein (LRV) between the abdominal aorta (AA) and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), due to reduction of the angle between AA and SMA. This leads to LRV varices, left gonadal vein varices and therefore, the pelvic congestion syndrome. For this reason, coexistence of NCS and pelvic congestion syndrome has been described. It manifests by hematuria, proteinuria, and nonspecific pelvic pain secondary to pelvic congestion, dyspareunia and persistent genital arousal. We report a 27-year-old woman who experienced hematuria and left flank pain. The diagnosis of NCS accompanied by pelvic congestion syndrome was missed initially, but later on the diagnosis was made by color Doppler ultrasound, abdominal computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography that were later performed. She refused interventional and surgical treatments, and was lost to follow up.

Cracking haematuria in adolescent with negative work up

A 16-year-old girl was referred to our nephrology clinic with persistent visible haematuria (2 months), no urinary tract infection, proteinuria ranging from negligible to 1.5 g/l, normal kidney function and otherwise negative work up including immunology screen. After negative ultrasound scans of the kidneys and bladder, normal renal biopsy and normal cystoscopy, a CT angiogram was obtained. It showed no evidence of arteriovenous malformation but revealed compression of left renal vein (nutcracker syndrome).