Surgical management of a primary external iliac venous aneurysm causing pulmonary thromboembolism: report of a case

Primary iliac venous aneurysm is an extremely rare clinical entity. We report a case of primary external iliac venous aneurysm containing an intraluminal thrombus that caused pulmonary thromboembolism in a 22-year-old woman. The aneurysm and pulmonary emboli were detected during examination for sudden onset of dyspnea. After receiving anticoagulation and thrombolytic therapy, the patient underwent aneurysm resection. We devised venoplasty using a dual-row saphenous vein patch to cover the large defect of the vessel wall. Primary iliac venous aneurysms associated with pulmonary thromboembolism are uncommon and surgical repair is made difficult by the fragility of the affected vessel. We reviewed the clinical features of this unusual entity.