Adrenal vein catheterization. Anatomic considerations.

Twenty post-mortem specimens and 93 phlebographies (56 right side, 37 left side) from 44 patients were investigated with respect to the adrenal venous anatomy. At autopsy, the venous orifices displayed in the area of adrenal drainage were injected bilaterally to identify the adrenal vein(s), the surrounding channels and the presence of interconnections. The findings were correlated with those at clinical phlebography, and the different sources of error were elicited. These were mainly found on the right side. Some guidelines are suggested in the hope that these will contribute to eliminate misconceptions.