Massive Thrombosis of the Right Atrium Extended to the Superior Vena Cava at the Diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

Introduction. Venous thromboembolic disease is a common complication found in 8% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The location at the right atrium is exceptional. These last fifty years, only 6 cases of thrombosis of the atrium in the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia were published on PubMed search engine. Case Presentation. 35-year-old farmer, who had been admitted by emergency department for superior vena cava syndrome and had a hyperleukocytic AML with complex karyotype associated with a significant thrombosis of the right atrium, extended all along the superior vena cava. He has been treated by the 2011 AML protocol using low molecular weight heparin and died from respiratory distress. Conclusions. If thrombosis is common in AML, the location in right atrium is rare. Its management requires surgery that is sometimes difficult to achieve.