Suppurative Thrombophlebitis of the Inferior Vena Cava Resolved with Intravenous Antibiotic Therapy: A Case Report

Inferior vena cava (ivc) thrombosis is a rare medical condition. suppurative thrombophlebitis of the ivc is even a more uncommon subtype of ivc thrombosis and is mostly associated with ivc filters or venous catheters. we describe a 66-year old man with persistent fever and history of pyonephrosis secondary to transurethral lithotripsy 1 month before recent admission. computed tomography scan of the chest and abdomen revealed a filling defect in the ivc protruding into the right atrium. transesophageal echocardiogram (tee) revealed a large mass at the origin of the ivc entering into the right atrium, suggestive of a clot. diagnosis of suppurative thrombophlebitis of the ivc secondary to a retroperitoneal abscess was made, and intravenous antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks without anticoagulation conferred ample thrombus resolution. follow-up tee in week 16 showed no residual thrombus in the ivc.