Surgical Complications in Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Patient with Essential Thrombocythemia: A Case Report

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) which could complicate surgical procedures due to thrombosis and spontaneous bleeding. However, currently, there is neither concrete guideline nor prerequisite for ET patients who underwent operations.

A 48 year-old-female was admitted to the emergency unit on 21 February 2020 due to vomiting and inability to pass gas/stool. The patient previously had an operation for uterine myoma two weeks before which showed thrombocyte count of 688,000/mm³. The patient was previously diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia with positive JAK2V617 point mutation on 24 June 2019. Laboratory examination showed thrombocyte 1,134,000/mm³ and leukocyte 22,700/mm³ suggestive of neutrophilia. CT scan showed fluid collection with blood density in the abdomen and pelvis. She was then diagnosed with obstructive ileus due to abdominal abscess and intestine adhesion. Adhesiolysis by laparoscopy was performed on 29 February 2020 with thrombocyte count of 727,000/mm³. Patient was able to pass flatus and defecate three days post-surgery. However, a decrease of hemoglobin to 8.2 g/dL on 3 March 2020 with thrombocyte count of 700,000/mm³ was suggestive of internal bleeding. She was discharged three weeks post-surgery after improvement of clinical condition with thrombocyte count of 850,000/mm³. She was given hydroxyurea 1000 mg once every two days, aspirin 80 mg OD, anagrelide 1 mg OD, and amlodipine 10 mg OD.

Myeloproliferative disease patients with high thrombocyte count are subjected to increased risk of thrombotic complications in perioperative settings, thus perioperative management and risk assessment are important to improve quality of life and prevent complications. Surgery in MPN patients with elevated thrombocytes may be considered if the benefits outweigh the risks. More studies in this field should be conducted in-order to provide more data for a guideline or systematic review/meta-analyses.