A Case Report of Transformed Inferior Vena Cava Filter Caused by Trapped Thrombosis

Abstract

The patient was a 57-year- old male patient with a history of swelling and pain from the left thigh to the lower leg and breathlessness on exertion who was referred by his local doctor to the dermatology department of our hospital, and was examined 4 days later by us at the surgery department. Computed tomography showed thromboembolism in the pulmonary and below the left common iliac vein, and he was hospitalized urgently. On the same day, an inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) was placed through the right internal jugular vein. The patient developed chest pain, decrease in percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation, and fall of blood pressure on the 4th day after placement of the IVCF. Computed tomography on the 7th day showed improvement of the pulmonary embolism, but a trapped thrombus in the IVCF, upward deformation of two arms of the IVCF, and perforation of the inferior vena cava by one of the bent arms. The IVCF was retrieved via a right internal jugular vein approach, and no findings of bleeding were found out of inferior vena cava. The swelling in the left lower limb decreased, breathing difficulties were confirmed, and the patient was discharged from the hospital on the 24th day. There are no previous reports of deformation of the arms of an IVCF due to a trapped thrombus in the early phase after IVCF placement.