eMedicine Specialties > General Surgery > Abdomen

Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis: Follow-up

Author: Luis G Fernandez, MD, FACS, FASAS, FCCP, FCCM, FICS, Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery and Family Practice, University of Texas Health Science Center; Chairman, Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Chief of Critical Care Units, Trinity Mother Francis Health System
Coauthor(s): Douglas M Geehan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri at Kansas City
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Dec 29, 2008

Outcome and Prognosis

The outcome of patients who have inferior vena caval thrombosis (IVCT) is often determined by the underlying condition that initially caused the thrombosis. However, some general statements can be made. The impact and outcome of IVCT are as variable as the clinical presentation. In one study, only a third of patients had a correct diagnosis before venography. Adult patients with ligation of their vena cava reportedly have either no symptoms or mild edema after ligation.

A report on children who had IVCT unrelated to catheterization revealed that 50% had persistent IVCT. Symptoms of chronic limb pain and chronic abdominal pain were observed. Another series of pediatric patients with IVCT secondary to central venous access identified no sequelae unless concurrent superior vena cava thrombosis was present. Finally, the outcome of patients who have IVCT relates to the embolic risk associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) overall. If the cava is occluded, pulmonary embolization does not present a significant risk. On the other hand, if a caval lumen remains, embolization may occur.

Future and Controversies

IVCT remains a challenging process to diagnose and treat. In a recent list server based discussion among critical care physicians, surgeons, radiologists, and other physicians regarding IVCT, a lack of uniformity of opinion existed regarding the optimal diagnostic study. However, a general consensus existed among the discussion participants that contrast venography remains the criterion standard.

Patients may be asymptomatic, or they may present only after complications occur. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, the clinician must choose an appropriate treatment regimen based on the underlying pathophysiology. With physician awareness of the possibility of IVCT in various situations, the patient is more likely to receive prompt diagnosis and subsequent intervention that minimizes ensuing sequelae.

 
Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Douglas M Geehan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri at Kansas City, for initiating this interesting article and the Editorial Board of eMedicine for allowing me to contribute to its continued expansion and update.



More on Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis

Overview: Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis
Workup: Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis
Treatment: Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis
Follow-up: Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis
Multimedia: Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

inferior vena caval thrombosis, IVC thrombosis, IVCT, deep venous thrombosis, DVT, thrombophlebitis, renal cell carcinoma, renal vein thrombosis, RVT, hepatic venous thrombosis, HVT, Virchow triad, Virchow's triad, Budd-Chiari syndrome

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Luis G Fernandez, MD, FACS, FASAS, FCCP, FCCM, FICS, Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery and Family Practice, University of Texas Health Science Center; Chairman, Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Chief of Critical Care Units, Trinity Mother Francis Health System
Luis G Fernandez, MD, FACS, FASAS, FCCP, FCCM, FICS is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Legal Medicine, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Abdominal Surgeons, American Society of General Surgeons, American Society of General Surgeons, American Society of Law Medicine and Ethics, American Trauma Society, Association for Surgical Education, Association of Military Surgeons of the US, Chicago Medical Society, Illinois State Medical Society, International College of Surgeons, New York Academy of Sciences, Pan American Trauma Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Texas Medical Association, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Douglas M Geehan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri at Kansas City
Douglas M Geehan, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, American Medical Association, Association for Academic Surgery, Phi Beta Kappa, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and Society of Critical Care Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Michael A Grosso, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Francis Hospital
Michael A Grosso, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Society of University Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paolo Zamboni, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Day Surgery Unit, Chair of Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
Paolo Zamboni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Venous Forum and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA, Vice Chairman, Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Gastrointestinal Medicine and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine; Director of Surgical Research, Department of Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital
John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American Gastroenterological Association, American Physiological Society, American Society of Nephrology, Association for Academic Surgery, International Society of Nephrology, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
Disclosure: AMGEN Royalty Other

 
 
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