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Case Reports
. 2021 Jul 30;34(2):100-104.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1730451. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Right Ventricle Embolization of IVC Filter Fragments: An Incidental Finding

Santiago J Miyara  1   2 , Sara Guevara  3 , Linda Shore-Lesserson  4   5 , Muhammad Shoaib  2   4   6 , Claudia Kirsch  7 , Christine N Metz  1   2 , Vinay Nair  4   8 , Lawrence Lau  3 , Rishabh C Choudhary  2   6 , Alexia McCann-Molmenti  6 , Anthony M Baez  3 , Kei Hayashida  2   6 , Ryosuke Takegawa  2   6 , Koichiro Shinozaki  2   6 , Tomoaki Aoki  2   6 , Mitsuaki Nishikimi  2   6 , Young Min Cho  2 , Alexis Morell  3 , Stefanos Zafeiropoulos  1   2 , Stavros Zanos  1   2 , Stacey Watt  9 , Lisandro Montorfano  10 , Cristian D Bartoc  4   5 , Claudio M Lumermann  4   5 , Judith Aronsohn  4   5 , Lance B Becker  1   2   3   4   6 , Ernesto P Molmenti  3   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Right Ventricle Embolization of IVC Filter Fragments: An Incidental Finding

Santiago J Miyara et al. Int J Angiol. .

Abstract

This case report describes a 52-year-old male patient, with the incidental finding of inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) fragments impacted into the right ventricle, secondary to IVCF fragmentation and subsequent embolization. While IVCFs are prescribed to prevent pulmonary embolizations when anticoagulation is either contraindicated, or has failed, IVCF embolizations to the heart represent an extremely rare, but potentially life-threatening complication. Of note, at the time of writing, the utility and effectiveness of IVCF are not fully established. Intracardiac embolizations of IVCF typically present with complications such as hypotension, cardiac tamponade, arrhythmias, ventricle perforation, bleeding, cardiac arrest, and death. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an asymptomatic kidney transplant recipient found to have right ventricle embolizations of IVCF fragments through routine assessment. Additionally, this is also the first report of an asymptomatic patient who presented IVCF fragments embolized to the right ventricle and left gonadal vein in the same clinical setting.

Keywords: DVT; IVCF migration; IVCFs; incidental finding; intracardiac embolization; pulmonary embolism; thromboembolic disease; thrombosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the chest with coronal three-dimensional reconstruction of a 52-year-old male with inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) placement (blue arrow), with multiple fractured IVCF fragments in right ventricle (yellow arrow) and left gonadal vein (red arrow).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the chest and abdomen with sagittal reconstruction, with two linear metallic densities representing inferior vena cava (IVC) catheter fragments in the right ventricle (blue arrows). IVC filter originally placed in the inferior vena cava (yellow arrow).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen with coronal reconstruction with inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) in the inferior vena cava (green arrow). IVCF fragments impacted into the left gonadal vein (red arrow).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the chest with axial three-dimensional reconstruction with two linear metallic densities that represent inferior vena cava catheter fragments in the right ventricle, with one fragment traversing the right ventricular free wall (white arrow).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the chest with sagittal three-dimensional reconstruction with two linear metallic densities that represent inferior vena cava catheter fragments in the right ventricle (blue arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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