Preduodenal portal vein in the adult.

Preduodenal portal vein (PDPV) is a rare developmental anomaly. We recently encountered this anomaly in a 73-year-old woman who had gastric cancer and colonic cancer with liver metastasis. The PDPV was diagnosed preoperatively by computed tomography and angiography. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 19 adult cases reported in the world literature, with this additional case being reported here. In infants the anomaly has often been associated with duodenal obstruction, but in adults it is often symptomless. We discuss the disease process, embryology, diagnosis, association with other anomalies, and surgical treatment.