[Wünderlich syndrome due to a ruptured iliac vein secondary to deep venous thrombosis]

Wünderlich syndrome, or spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma, secondary to spontaneous rupture of the iliac vein is a rare clinical entity and a medical emergency. Often the aetiology is difficult to identify and different hypotheses have been proposed, such as the presence of hormonal, inflammatory and/or mechanical factors. It may be important to assess the presence of a factor that triggered the deep vein thrombosis and secondary rupture of the iliac vein and retroperitoneal hematoma. We present a case where venous thrombosis could have caused rupture of the iliac vein and we discuss the entity in light of the current literature.