Duplicated inferior vena cava simulating retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy in a patient with embryonal cell carcinoma of the testicle.

Computerized tomography has become the most widely applied staging technique in the assessment of retroperitoneal lymph nodes in patients with nonseminomatous testicular carcinoma. Errors in clinical staging of testicular carcinoma can have serious implications for the treatment afforded these patients. We describe a duplicated inferior vena cava that simulated retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy on abdominal computerized tomography in a patient with embryonal cell carcinoma of the testicle. The embryology and implications of anomalous lymphatic drainage of the testicle are discussed.