Abstract
This 67-year-old woman had a history of surgery for rectal cancer and liver metastases. About 1 year 5 months previously, she was found to have liver metastases with invasion into the inferior vena cava (IVC), and a partial hepatectomy, together with resection and reconstruction of the IVC, was performed. The patient now presented with abdominal distention, and she was admitted to the hospital with bowel obstruction. CT showed that the vascular graft used for IVC reconstruction had migrated into the small bowel in the lower abdomen. Emergency surgery was performed by the diagnosis of bowel obstruction.
The small bowel was opened, the vascular graft within the bowel was removed, and then the small bowel wall was closed by suturing. Upper GI endoscopy after surgery showed a duodenal ulcer scar, thus suggesting that the vascular graft migrated from the duodenum into the small bowel, thus causing bowel obstruction. Bowel obstruction caused by migration into the small bowel of a vascular graft used for IVC reconstruction has not previously been reported. Thus, this case is reported with the literature review.
