Commentary on 'Late gastrointestinal complications of inferior vena cava filter placement: Case report and literature review'

摘要

Anticoagulation has been shown to be effective in preventing clot extension and pulmonary embolism in patients with deep venous thrombosis. In a small subset of patients, however, anticoagulation is not possible, usually because of bleeding complications or pulmonary embolism while therapeutically anticoagulated. The use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters has been shown to decrease death from pulmonary embolism in those patients.The reported rate of IVC filter complications ranges from 5% to 10%. These complications include migration, tilt, perforation, and fracture. These complications are not necessarily independent of each other and usually occur in combination. Initial tilting may lead to incomplete anchoring. Filter migration either cranially or caudally due to normal respiratory motion of the cava wall may lead to penetration of the caval wall by a filter leg with eventual fracture with embolization.