Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Rodent Inferior Vena Cava Venoplasty Balloon Model
Published on: May 24, 2024
Outcome of iatrogenic injuries to the abdominal and pelvic veins
Tommaso Mandolfino1, Aldo Canciglia, Filippo Taranto
1Vascular Surgery Section, Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Purpose:
To analyze the management and outcome of iatrogenic injuries to the abdominal and pelvic veins.
Methods:
We reviewed a series of patients who sustained iatrogenic vein injuries between 1989 and 2004.
Results:
Thirty patients (21 men and 9 women ranging in age from 38 to 82 years; mean age, 53.6 years) sustained major vein injuries during general (46%), gynecological (20%), orthopedic (13%), colorectal (10%), or urologic (10%) operations. The following veins were injured: inferior vena cava (n=10), portal vein (n=4), iliac vein (n=15), and renal vein (n=1). The following types of repair were carried out: venorrhaphy (56%), end-to-end anastomosis (10%), and an interposition graft (33%). Seven patients (23%) died of injury-related causes and 18 (60%) suffered major injury-related complications, including bleeding requiring repeat exploration (n=7), disseminated vascular coagulopathy (DIC; n=5), venous thrombosis (n=4), and lower limb arterial ischemia (n=2). There were two cases of late venous thrombosis.
Conclusion:
Iatrogenic vein injuries can occur during radical surgery for cancer and are associated with high morbidity and mortality as a result of massive bleeding. Rapid vascular control and venous repair improve early and late outcome.
Related Concept Videos
Veins of the Abdomen and Pelvis
The inferior vena cava is fed by numerous smaller veins. The lumbar veins, for instance, drain the posterior abdominal wall, emptying both directly into the inferior vena cava and into the...
Varicose Veins I: Introduction
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction
Venous Thrombosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Veins of Thorax
The azygos vein, positioned just right of the midline and anterior to the vertebral column, begins at the junction of the right ascending lumbar and subcostal veins, terminating in the superior vena cava. This vein drains blood from the right side of the thoracic wall, thoracic viscera, and posterior abdominal wall.
The...
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care

