2018 Volume 27 Issue 6 Pages 495-498
Superficial venous aneurysm (SVA) is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease because it can be a source of pulmonary embolism(PE). We present a case with SVA associated with PE after ultrasonography. An 81-year-old woman underwent surgery for left inguinal swelling that was diagnosed as a hernia, but a hernia was not recognized intraoperatively. The ultrasonography revealed left superficial venous aneurysm, which was followed conservatively. Two years later, she visited again with marked enlargement of the left groin. After repeated manipulation during ultrasonography, cardiopulmonary arrest occurred. Successful resuscitation was performed, and then an emergency CT indicated a PE. A permanent inferior vena cava filter was implanted to prevent a fatal PE. We performed a complete resection of the aneurysm. The patient did not experience a recurrence of thrombus for 1 year after the surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a cardiopulmonary arrest caused by a superficial venous aneurysm. We would like to emphasize the two factors in this case; 1) confusion between a great saphenous vein aneurysm and an inguinal hernia, 2) the risk of fatal complications such as PE due to manipulation during the ultrasonography.
