Intra-operative inferior vena cava syndrome in a patient with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

The renal and hepatic cysts characteristic of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease can exert a mass effect on surrounding structures. If this involves the inferior vena cava (IVC), patients usually present with signs and symptoms characteristic of congestive heart failure. However, the absence of these signs or symptoms does not exclude a potentially hemodynamically significant IVC syndrome. This case report describes a patient with no pre-operative evidence of congestive heart failure or IVC compression, who subsequently experienced intra-operative hypotension and hypoxemia due to an IVC syndrome.