Hypoplasia of the inferior vena cava and deep vein thrombosis

Severe lumbar pain in an adolescent due to idiopathic vena cava thrombosis: a case report

BACKGROUND

Lumbar back pain in an adolescent is generally musculoskeletal, that is, due to a muscle strain or scoliosis. This case describes a young individual without any previous health issues who rapidly developed a life-threatening condition, though initially presenting with "only" back pain.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 16-year-old Caucasian male patient was admitted twice to the emergency department with debilitating lumbar pain without neurological or vascular symptoms. Imagery showed an extensive thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. No external cause, structural abnormality, or any systemic disease were found that predisposed the patient to this highly unusual vaso-occlusive incident.

CONCLUSION

Thrombosis of the inferior vena cava is a rare but life-threatening entity. It is underrecognized and associated with serious short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Increased awareness is essential because deep vein thrombosis in children seems to cause atypical symptoms, such as spinal pain or the absence of edema of the lower limbs, as in the present case.

Hypoplasia of the inferior vena cava in a young man presenting with extensive deep venous thrombosis

We present a case of a 34-year-old man with extensive deep venous thrombosis (DVT) who was found to have multiple abnormalities of venous anatomy, notably hypoplasia of the inferior vena cava with azygous continuation. DVT has an annual incidence of around 1 in 1000 people in the UK. Many cases will have readily identifiable risk factors, such as underlying malignancy, immobility or thrombophilia, but at times, these might not be so straightforward and unexpected contributing factors may be found. Although relatively uncommon in the general population, congenital venous abnormalities have been found at higher incidence in young adults presenting with spontaneous DVT and should therefore remain a consideration when classical risk factors are absent.