Background: Congenital absence of the inferior vena cava is related to deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in 5% of cases with no other risk factors. DVT is normally diagnosed by Duplex, whereas computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is required to visualize this absence, and so, it is often missed but ought to be considered in young patients. There are many existing cases in the literature illustrating this link, but these patients were often managed conservatively with anticoagulation.
Case series: We report five cases presenting with a DVT who were found to have an absent inferior vena cava after imaging and were treated successfully with thrombolysis and consequently managed with lifelong anticoagulation, between January 2014 and January 2019.
Conclusions: Anomalies of the inferior vena cava can cause unprovoked DVT. These anomalies are often incidental findings after CT but could change the management plan in these patients. Treatment can be with anticoagulants only, thrombolysis, thrombectomy, balloon angioplasty or stents, and long-term or lifelong anticoagulation to prevent DVT recurrence.
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