Spontaneous Left External Iliac Vein Rupture

Abstract

Spontaneous rupture of the Iliac Vein is very rare in practice. In over 90% of cases, the venous lesion is located on the left side. The exact etiology of this condition is unknown. Spontaneous injury of the iliac vein is thought to be favored by intense exercise, constipation, cough, labor, May-Thurner syndrome or pre-existing inflammatory changes in the venous wall are also implicated. We present the case of an 83-year-old woman who is brought to the Emergency Department for abdominal pain located in the left flank and in the left iliac fossa, which appeared after a medium physical exertion. After an emergency contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scan, the diagnosis of spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein is established. Surgery is performed with extreme urgency by retroperitoneal approach and due to the very precarious condition of the patient, venous ligation is done, wishing to perform a Palma-Dale venous bypass at a later time. Although a rare cause of spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma, a non-traumatic rupture of the common or external iliac vein should be considered in patients in shock with massive retroperitoneal bleeding, accompanied by a high mortality rate.