Relationship of the lumbar lordosis angle to the abdominal aortic bifurcation and inferior vena cava confluence levels

• Published in: Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2012-10, Vol.25 (7), p.866-871
• Main Authors: Moussallem, Charbel D., Hamad, Ibrahim Abou, El-Yahchouchi, Christine A., Moussallem, Maroun D., Arnalsteen, Damien M., Mertl, Patrice, Havet, Eric
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aorta, Abdominal - anatomy & histology; Aorta, Abdominal - diagnostic imaging; aortic bifurcation angle; aortic bifurcation level; Female; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; inferior vena cava confluence angle; inferior vena cava confluence level; Intervertebral Disc - anatomy & histology; Intervertebral Disc - diagnostic imaging; lumbar lordosis angle; Lumbar Vertebrae - anatomy & histology; Lumbar Vertebrae - blood supply; Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vena Cava, Inferior - anatomy & histology; Vena Cava, Inferior - diagnostic imaging
• ISSN: 0897-3806; 1098-2353
• DOI: 10.1002/ca.22030

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship of the variations of the lumbar lordosis angle (LLA) to the aortic bifurcation level and inferior vena cava (IVC) confluence level using CT angiography. A retrospective study was conducted using the data available on abdominopelvic CT angiography scans. The LLA, the level and angle of bifurcation of the aorta, the level and angle of confluence of the IVC were identified using multiplanar and 3D reconstruction. Linear regression models were fitted to the data. We interpreted 181 scans for 181 individuals having a mean age of 55 years (18–89). The most common site of aortic bifurcation was at L4‐L5 disc space (34.8%) and that of vena confluence was at the upper of L5 (29.3%). The mean LLA was 34.65° (13°–77°). The mean aortic bifurcation angle was 47.43° (17°–100°) and the mean IVC confluence angle was 71.86° (30°–120°). The positions of the aortic bifurcation and venous confluence levels showed a proximal shift with an increasing LLA P < 0.001. This study showed that the level of bifurcation of the aorta and the level of confluence of the IVC may vary with the variations of the LLA. Clin. Anat. 25:866–871, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.