CASE REPORTS   

Minerva Chirurgica 2012 June;67(3):277-82

Copyright © 2012 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

B-cell lymphoma related iliac vein occlusion treated by endovenous stent placement

Hermus L. ¹, Tielliu I. F. J. ¹, Zeebregts C. J. ¹, Prins T. R. ², Van Den Dungen J. J. A. M. ¹ ✉

¹ Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; ² Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Unilateral leg swelling is most often caused by deep vein thrombosis but other conditions may mimic this disorder. We describe the case of a patient with symptoms of unilateral lower extremity swelling caused by external compression of the iliac vein by a mass originating from the iliopsoas muscle. Initially this mass was diagnosed as an iliopsoas hematoma in a patient using anticoagulants. However, it proved to be B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Compression was relieved by placement of an endovenous stent in the left common iliac vein. Endovenous stenting is a relatively new treatment modality that is used to treat post-thrombotic venous occlusions and chronic venous insufficiency. Only a few case series have been described of stenting of compressed pelvic veins by adjacent structures such as gynecological malignancies. Although stent patency lasted only four weeks in this patient, venous stent placement quickly reliefs symptoms and should therefore be considered as an option to bridge time to allow development of sufficient venous collaterals.