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CASE REPORT article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1532300
This article is part of the Research TopicCase Reports in Thrombosis: 2024View all 10 articles
Rare and Life-Threatening Iliac Vein Stent Infection Following Radiotherapy: A Case
Provisionally accepted- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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This case report discussed a 43-year-old female who underwent multiple radiotherapy sessions after cervical cancer surgery and experienced serious complications due to simultaneous iliac vein stent placement immediately after thrombus aspiration without adequate evaluation of the indication for stent placement. Two months after radiotherapy, the patient developed right lower limb edema and pain, which led to the discovery of an iliac vein thrombosis. Subsequent stent placement without thorough evaluation resulted in severe complications, including infection and sepsis. Despite initial symptom relief, the patient was readmitted with high fever and severe pain, and imaging revealed gas around the stent, indicating infection. An exploratory laparotomy uncovered a large abscess and a colonic fistula. The stents were removed, and the patient underwent aggressive anti-infection treatment involving meropenem and vancomycin, along with surgical repair of the fistula. This case highlights the importance of accurate diagnosis and careful consideration of stent placement in preventing severe outcomes, including the rare but serious risk of venous stent infections requiring surgical intervention.
Keywords: Iliac vein stent, venous stent infection, Radiotherapy complications, cervical cancer, Colonic fistula
Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liao, Ma, Wu, Wang and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jichun Zhao, Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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