Inferior vena cava reconstruction with tubularized bovine pericardium

A 32-year-old man presented with a large, locally advanced sarcomatoid right renal cell carcinoma invading the duodenum and inferior vena cava (IVC). Because of persistent symptomatic gastrointestinal bleeding requiring repeated blood transfusion and the inability to use appropriate systemic chemotherapy, the patient was taken for palliative resection. En bloc pancreaticoduodenectomy, right nephrectomy, and IVC resection were performed with reconstruction of the IVC with tubularized bovine pericardium. Widespread availability, ease and speed of tubularized graft creation, lack of morbidity to the patient, and its inherent resistance to infection in contaminated fields make bovine pericardium an expedient reconstructive option in these challenging cases.