Delayed presentation of blunt inferior vena cava injury following high-speed motor vehicle collision

Abstract

This is a report of a case of acute-on-chronic inferior vena cava thrombosis 10 years following blunt abdominal trauma from a motor vehicle collision. Although more common risk factors for this pathology include anatomical variation or the long-standing presence of an inferior vena cava filter, history of blunt abdominal trauma serves as a rare etiology. Fewer than 20 cases of inferior vena cava thrombosis following blunt abdominal trauma have been reported in the literature, and most describe a presentation within weeks of inciting trauma. The lengthy time to diagnosis and acute-on-chronic presentation given substantial reconstitution of circulation by collateral veins make this case unique in the literature.