Thromboangiitis obliterans in pregnancy – Case report and literature review

Abstract

Thromboangiitis obliterans, also known as Buerger’s disease, is rarely reported in young women in pregnancy. It is an occlusive vascular disorder, characterised by episodic non-atherosclerotic thrombosis of small- and medium-sized blood vessels. Thromboangiitis obliterans predominantly occurs in males aged less than 50 years and is almost exclusively diagnosed in smokers. The small number of published cases have frequently reported worsening of thrombotic symptoms, due to the hypercoagulable state of pregnancy, and potential pregnancy complications of intra-uterine growth restriction and pre-term labour. This report provides a summary of the literature and outlines the case of a pregnant 23-year-old female with thromboangiitis obliterans, who was managed with low-dose enoxaparin and aspirin. Her thrombotic symptoms were stable during pregnancy; however, her pregnancy was complicated by placental malperfusion and intra-uterine growth restriction.