Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis

Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis is a disease associated with high morbidity. Although the condition is considered rare, case reports have shown that IVC thromboses may be underdiagnosed. For example, most commonly, pulmonary emboli are thought to arise from a lower extremity deep venous thrombosis. However, there are cases where an IVC thrombus caused the discovered pulmonary embolism. IVC thrombosis should be part of the differential diagnosis for a patient with risk for a thromboembolic event. The predisposing prothrombotic condition should be determined once an IVC thrombus is identified as there are many potential causes.