[Rheolytic catheter-assisted thrombectomy in a gigantic floating thrombus]

Thrombosis of deep veins of the lower extremities is a serious and frequently occurring disease (with the incidence rate of 160 newly onset cases per 100,000 people annually). A great number of complications are known to develop in case of the ileofemoral thrombosis and a floating pattern of the proximal portion of the thrombus, especially if extending to the vena cava inferior. Appropriate treatment of thromboses of the vena cava inferior should consist in averting dissemination of thrombosis in the proximal direction, preventing pulmonary-artery thromboembolism (PATE), and restoring the patency of the vena cava inferior in order to eliminate the risk of post-thrombotic disease. We present herein our first experience in rheolytic catheter-aided thrombectomy for a floating thrombus of the vena cava inferior in a female patient with an extremely elevated operative risk and pronounced concomitant somatic pathology.