Mesenteric venous thrombosis due to antithrombin III deficiency

Abstract

A 19-year-old woman developed gradually worsening abdominal pain, signs of peritonitis, and hematemesis. Laparotomy revealed peritonitis due to segmental small-bowel infarction, and the underlying pathologic condition was mesenteric vein thrombosis. A primary thrombotic disorder was suggested and antithrombin III deficiency was found. Before anticoagulant therapy could be initiated, she developed hemorrhagic cerebral infarction and died. Her history included three episodes of deep vein thrombosis while taking oral contraceptives. Her father died of spontaneous mesenteric and portal vein thrombosis at age 29 years. This report underlines the importance of careful interpretation of the vascular pathology in cases of intestinal ischemia.

PIP: Careful interpretation of the vascular pathology is important in cases of intestinal ischemia caused by primary mesenteric vein thrombosis because it suggests antithrombin III (AT III) deficiency. This deficiency, an autosomal dominant hereditary disorder, predisposes the patient to venous thrombosis. Similar or acquired deficiencies may also predispose the patient to thrombosis. In hereditary AT III deficiency, 90% of the cases have thrombosis of the leg or iliac veins; 8.3% of the cases, thrombosis of the mesenteric veins. Additionally, some families have a tendency to develop mesenteric vein thrombosis specifically. In this case report, a daughter with probable AT III deficiency had a history of 3 episodes of deep vein thrombosis in the previous 5 years while taking oral contraceptives. Her father, with the same deficiency, died from massive intestinal infarction resulting from portal and mesenteric vein thrombosis. The 19-year old woman developed gradually worsening abdominal pain, signs of peritonitis, and hematemesis. A laparotomy revealed peritonitis that was due to segmental small-bowel infarction; the underlying pathologic condition was mesenteric vein thrombosis. Coagulation study results revealed AT III activity by chromogenic assay, 0.48 u/mL; AT III antigen, 0.5 u/mL; and protein C antigen, 1.15 u/mL. 10 days after discharge, she developed a hemicranial headache with nausea, vomiting, neck tenderness, and photophobia; she was readmitted. A CT scan showed a left posterior parietal cerebral infarct. Repeat AT III activity by chromogenic assay was 0.51 u/mL and AT III antigen level was 0.50 u/mL. Before anticoagulant therapy could be initiated, the patient died 7 days after readmission. The combined lowering of AT III activity and antigen levels to half of normal suggests AT III deficiency. Earlier diagnosis of this deficiency could have been made in light of the patient's own history of thrombosis and the paternal history.