Unexplained arterial thrombosis after pelvic oncologic surgery: a report of a new pathologic entity of postoperative thrombosis in grossly normal arteries

ABSTRACT

Acute arterial ischemia of the lower limb post pelvic surgery can be caused by different pathopyhsyiologic mechanisms which include; contusion thrombosis, ligation, spasm, thrombosis on top of atherosclerosis. Treatment is bypass or replacement. This report describes 4 cases of unexplained iliac arterial thrombosis post pelvic surgery without gross underlying pathology in the arterial wall, neither traumatic nor atherosclerotic. Patients were successfully managed by simple thrombectomy only without the need for vessel replacement or bypass. Establishment of flow across the previously thrombosed segment was achieved with no rethrombosis. Simple thrombectomy through the groin, alone can be used successfully to treat a selected group of patients with post operative iliac artery occlusion