Conservatively Treated Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis in a 48-Year-Old Obese Female: A Case Report

Mesenteric vein thrombosis (MVT) is a rare pathological entity that results in compromised venous return from the intestine due to involvement, in most cases, of the superior mesenteric vein. Its diagnosis is not straightforward, since the findings on physical examination are often disproportionate to the patient's pain complaints, leading to it being undervalued by clinicians. The patient is a 48-year-old female with a medical history of essential arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, class II obesity, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. She also had a family history of gastric and colon cancer, with an age at diagnosis of over 70 years. She went to an appointment at a primary care facility for abdominal pain located in the left hypochondrium and flank, with ipsilateral lumbar irradiation and no other accompanying symptoms. Physical examination revealed a globose, depressible abdomen, painful on palpation of the left quadrants, with no other associated signs of peritoneal irritation. Due to suspicion of acute diverticulitis, the patient was referred to the emergency department (ED) for assessment by general surgery. In the emergency department, given the patient's body type and the fact that the physical examination findings were disproportionate to her symptoms, an abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan was ordered, which revealed complete thrombosis of the entire length of the inferior mesenteric vein, with a focal extension of the thrombus, partially obstructing the confluence with the superior mesenteric and portal veins. Various complementary diagnostic tests were requested, which revealed no clinically significant findings, and obesity was therefore identified as the only risk factor. In this context, the patient started anticoagulation with warfarin, with the indication that it should be ad aeternum. To date, the patient remains asymptomatic, and there have been no new thrombotic events. Given the high morbidity and mortality rates of this pathological entity, it is imperative that clinicians are trained to recognize the typical signs of mesenteric venous thrombosis, in the characteristic epidemiological context, in order to establish a timely diagnosis and carry out early targeted therapeutic intervention.