Endovascular release of an Adams-DeWeese clip and iliocaval reconstruction for debilitating lower extremity swelling.

ABSTRACT

More than 10 million cases of venous thromboembolisms are reported on an annual basis and are major contributors to morbidity and mortality. Studies have found that ≤90% of pulmonary embolisms originate from the abdominal and lower extremity veins. The mainstay of venous thromboembolism treatment has been, and still continues to be, anticoagulation. However, for patients for whom anticoagulation is contraindicated or has failed, physicians have turned to surgical innovations such as inferior vena cava (IVC) filters to create partial interruption of the IVC. Before the invention of IVC filters, the Adams-DeWeese clip was developed to create caval interruption, which allowed for venous return while preventing pulmonary emboli from distal veins. We report a case of endovascular release of a long-term Adams-DeWeese clip, which had caused IVC occlusion and debilitating bilateral lower extremity swelling.