Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is caused by compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery where it passes in the fork formed at the bifurcation of these arteries and results in left renal venous hypertension. Prevalence NCS is relatively more common in women, most cases present in the 3rd or 4th decades of their lives although few patients have presented in adolescence and others in later years. Many patients are of above average height and tend to have an asthenic built. However, the exact incidence of the symptomatic nutcracker syndrome is not known.
Abnormality The normal angle between the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and the abdominal aorta is approximately 90°. A normally positioned left renal vein passes anterior to the aorta through the fork formed by the abdominal aorta and the SMA. Under normal circumstances, SMA originates from the…
