Hepatic "hot-spot" on angio-computed tomography: the role of inferior Sappey's and ensiform veins.

Hepatic "hot spots" in anterior paraumbilical hepatic segments of patients suffering from superior vena cava syndrome may be revealed by angio-computed tomography. They may be due to a collateralizing system, the epigastric-paraumbilical venous system (EPVS), which enters the liver as a "third inflow". We report a typical case emphasizing the role of the ensiform and inferior Sappey's veins which constitute typical anatomic components of the EPVS.