Prostacyclin deficiency in a young woman with recurrent thrombosis

A young woman with recurrent deep venous thromboses and spontaneous abortions was studied. She suffered an ovarian infarction followed by aortic thrombosis and renal failure. Evidence for deficient prostacyclin production was found and she responded to treatment with a prostacyclin infusion. This syndrome is identical with that seen in women with the lupus anticoagulant, but the lupus anticoagulant was not detected and no other cause was identified.