A Case of Vena Cava Filter for Colon Cancer Complicated by Pulmonary Thromboembolism

Tetsuji Yoneyama, Kenji Shimizu, Kei Yonezawa, Hisaya Azuma, Shigeru Mori, Manabu Futamura, Takashi Shiroko, Tetsuya Yanaguchi, Yasuhito Kitakado, Naoki Yokoo

Department of Surgery Takayama Red Cross Hospital

We experimented with a vena cava filter for colon cancer compicated by pulmonary thromboembolism. The patient was a 78-year-old woman. When she was admitted to our hospital with pulmonary thromboembolism, anemia was pointed out and colon cancer was diagnsoed. In perioperatie management we gave her an anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapy and implanted a vena cava filter to prevent recurrence. Right colectomy was performed 37 days after admission. There has been no sign of recurrence of pulmonary thromboembolism or colon cancer, as of 2 years after surgery. In perioperative management for such a patient, the most important problem is to prevent recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism, but there have been no papers dealing with its perioperative management. Therefore, based on this case, we discussed this problem. Anticoagulant therapy plus the vena cava filter was effective. Especially we considered that the vena cava filter was beneficial for preventing recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism.

Key words
vena cava filter, pulmonary thromboembolism, perioperative management

Reprint requests
Tetsuji Yoneyama Department of Gastroenterological Surgey Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine
54 Kawara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606 JAPAN

Accepted
September 11, 1996

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.