Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2008;33:507. doi:10.1016/j.ejcts.2007.12.028
Copyright © 2008, European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier. All rights reserved.
Images in cardio-thoracic surgery |
Migration of an inferior vena cava filter to the pulmonary artery
Wissam Abouzgheib*,
Juan Carlos Zubieta,
Vincent Lotano,
David Gerber
Cooper University Hospital, Pulmonary and Critical Care Department, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Camden, NJ, 08103, United States
Received 9 August 2007;
received in revised form 17 December 2007;
accepted 21 December 2007.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 856 745 4436; fax: +1 856 541 3968. (Email: abouzgheib-wissam{at}cooperhealth.edu).
Key Words: Inferior vena cava filter • Pulmonary embolism • Migration • Surgical retrieval • Percutaneous retrieval
A 53-year-old male with a history of pulmonary embolism was admitted with shortness of breath. Pulmonary angiogram (Fig. 1
) showed that an inferior vena cava filter had migrated to the right pulmonary artery causing obstruction. Unsuccessful percutaneous retrieval led to the surgical removal of the filter (Fig. 2
). The filter was encased in clot.
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Fig. 1. Pulmonary angiogram showing the migrated IVC filter with the vertex pointing distally and reduced blood flow.
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Fig. 2. Panel A showing a postoperative picture of the IVC filter encased in blood clot. Panel B showing an intraoperative picture of the IVC filter in the right pulmonary artery.
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