Postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is known as a rare but serious postpartum complication. The condition is often clinically not distinguishable from endometritis, appendicitis or pyelonephritis. OVT may cause sepsis, septic pulmonary thromboembolism, and thrombosis of the inferior vena cava and the renal veins, and is potentially fatal. The objective of this study was to report the clinical findings and outcome of two patients with diagnosed ovarian vein thrombosis after delivery managed at this institution.

Two patients fit the study criteria of documented ovarian vein thrombosis after delivery. An imaging diagnosis (CT) of ovarian vein thrombosis was required for final study inclusion.

We present two patients with ovarian vein thrombosis. The symptoms of one patient disappeared two days after beginning heparin and antibiotic therapy. The control-CT 93 days after the diagnosis of POVT showed unsuspected ovarian veins. The other patient suffered from POVT 13 days after spontaneous delivery. Because of lethal embolisms she died during the operation for embolectomy.

On the basis of our series and other recent series, OVT may likely be more common than previously thought and may become clinically apparent only when complicated by infection, expansion of the thrombus or pulmonary embolism. POVT is a potentially fatal condition most commonly seen as a complication of pelvic surgery or inflammatory disease.