What should be done in a patient with duplicated IVC who needs an IVC filter?
Failure to recognize the presence of a duplicated IVC may lead to the placement of a single filter in the right-sided cava. A filter in this position would leave the entire left leg and left pelvis “unprotected” because a clot could bypass the filter by traveling from the left leg, up the left-sided cava to the left renal vein, and then to the heart and lungs. If the left-sided cava is recognized, a filter could be placed in each cava, or a single suprarenal filter could alternatively be placed.
