Non-operative Management of an Isolated Blunt Traumatic Retrohepatic Inferior Vena Cava Injury

Traumatic inferior vena cava (IVC) injuries are often fatal. Blunt IVC injuries are encountered less often. Conservative management, albeit an option, is not often discussed in the literature. This report explores the non-operative management of a 52-year-old female unrestrained driver who presented with a blunt retrohepatic IVC injury identified on a computed tomography (CT) scan that revealed IVC disruption with extravasation of contrast. Here, we discuss the nonoperative management of the patient and review the literature concerning IVC anatomy, traumatic injuries, and management. We conclude that a hemodynamically stable patient with an isolated blunt traumatic IVC injury can be managed nonoperatively.

Automated summary

This report investigates the non-operative management of a 52-year-old female driver who suffered a blunt retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) injury. The patient was found to have IVC disruption with contrast leakage on a computed tomography (CT) scan. The literature on IVC anatomy, traumatic injuries, and management is reviewed, and it is concluded that a stable patient with an isolated blunt traumatic IVC injury can be successfully treated nonoperatively.