Paracaval lipoma: Case study and literature review

Paracaval lipoma refers to a fatty tissue collection surrounding the intrahepatic portion of the inferior vena cava (IVC). It is a relatively infrequent benign finding on abdominal CT imaging, speculated to be a result of negative thoracic pressure on the IVC during inspiration. If not recognized, paracaval lipoma can be confused for thrombus or, worse yet, malignant invasion of the IVC, resulting in a costly and unnecessary workup. Here we describe a 51-year-old white male presenting to our institution with a 2-week history of abdominal pain, increasing abdominal girth, jaundice, and ascites; subsequent CT of the abdomen and pelvis without contrast revealed an incidental finding of fat deposition around the caudate lobe with a juxtacaval distribution, consistent with paracaval lipoma.