LEFT RENAL VEIN OBSTRUCTION

Course overview

LEFT RENAL VEIN OBSTRUCTION, ALSO KNOWN AS NUTCRACKER PHENOMENON (NCP), OCCURS DUE TO THE EXTERNAL COMPRESSION OF THE LEFT RENAL VEIN (LRV) IN BETWEEN THE ANGLE FORMED BY THE ORIGIN OF THE SUPERIOR MESENTERIC ARTERY (SMA) FROM THE AORTA. THE WORD "NUTCRACKER" WAS FIRST USED BY CHAIT ET AL. IN 1971, BUT IN 1972, THE BELGIAN PHYSICIAN DE SCHEPPER NAMED IT AFTER HIS OBSERVATION OF THE COMPRESSION OF LRV BETWEEN THE AORTA AND SMA WHICH BEHAVE AS 2 LEVERS OF THE NUTCRACKER. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF LEFT RENAL VEIN OCCLUSION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT..