Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Inferior Vena Cava Thrombus : A case report

Kim, Hee Yeong; Hwang, Gyu Sam; Kim, Young Kug; Choi, In Cheol; Kang, Keum Nae; Hwang, Jai Hyun

Case Report

General Article

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2007;2(3):172-176.
Published online July 31, 2007.

Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Inferior Vena Cava Thrombus : A case report

Hee Yeong Kim, Gyu Sam Hwang, Young Kug Kim, In Cheol Choi, Keum Nae Kang, Jai Hyun Hwang

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kyk@amc.seoul.kr

Abstract

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involves frequently the inferior vena cava (IVC). As effective treatment of RCC with IVC thrombus is currently lacking, aggressive surgical treatment may be considered. However, this procedure can result in fatal complications such as pulmonary embolism. We experienced a case of pulmonary embolism diagnosed, not by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography, but by a computed tomography scan taken just after radical nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy in a 63-year-old patient with RCC extending to the IVC.

Key Words: computed, tomography, scan, inferior, vena, cava, thrombus