ABSTRACT
Persistent Sciatic Vein (PSV) remains a rare condition with no associated malformative syndrome or concomitant Persistent Sciatic Artery (PSA). Very few case reports have been published. We report the case of a 73-year-old man who presented to the emergency room with tenderness, edema and pain of the left calf, for up to 3 days. Biology reported an elevated d-dimer level. Doppler ultrasound diagnosed proximal left deep popliteal vein thrombosis, extended to a large vein along the sciatic nerve in the posterior compartment of the thigh, and a patent superficial femoral vein. Anticoagulation therapy was initiated immediately for at least 3 months. PSV remains an understudied condition. While its prevalence is low in the general population, this anatomical condition is associated with some specific clinical situations, such as Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) or early varicose recurrence, especially in the posterior thigh area. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a thrombosed PSV in a patient without a KTS.
Subject(s)
Thigh/blood supply , Veins/abnormalities , Venous Thrombosis , Aged , Factor Xa Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Rivaroxaban/therapeutic use , Veins/diagnostic imaging , Venous Thrombosis/diagnostic imaging , Venous Thrombosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To assess adherence to French guidelines for curative treatment of thromboembolism in cancer patients, and to identify factors limiting their implementation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the medical files of cancer patients diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) in one site between January 1st, 2010 and June 30th, 2011. Central venous catheter thrombosis and superficial vein thrombosis were excluded. RESULTS: The series included 145 patients, among whom 113 (78%) had solid tumors (at a metastatic stage in 68% of cases) and 33 (22%) had hematologic malignancies. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was prescribed as long-term treatment (>10 days) for 83 patients (57.2%) and a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for 33 patients (22.7%). Bleeding required treatment modifications or discontinuation in 11 (7.5%) and 10 (6.8%) patients respectively. After 6 months, LMWH, VKA and fondaparinux were prescribed for 28, 27 and six (19.3%, 18.6% et 4.1%) patients respectively. Mean duration of anticoagulation was 176.8 days. Treatment was not affected by a history of venous thromboembolism, the presence of pulmonary embolism or proximal deep vein thrombosis but it was significantly shorter in case of thrombosis limited to muscular veins (115.5 vs 182.3 days, P<0.05). Overall, guidelines were fully implemented in only 68 (46.9%) patients, with regards to the choice of pharmacological class and duration of treatment. CONCLUSION: Adherence to national guidelines is insufficient and actions must be taken to improve the management of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients.
