title: Vena caval thromboses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with vena caval (VC) thrombosis have been reported with a variety of clinical presentations, which may create a diagnostic challenge for physicians.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with VC thrombosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Files and all imaging methods of consecutive patients with superior or inferior VC thrombosis with or without pulmonary embolism (PE) between January 26, 2001, and May 12, 2006, were retrospectively studied in detail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our series, VC thromboses within the inferior and superior VC were detected in 28 patients, mostly by combined computed tomographic venography and spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. Nine of these 28 patients (32.1%) had VC thromboses without PE (7 patients with isolated and 2 patients with nonisolated VC thrombosis). Key symptoms and findings in the 9 patients without PE were unexplained dyspnea and tachypnea, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many patients with VC thrombosis do not have peripheral vein thrombosis. Moreover, nearly one third of patients with VC thrombosis have negative pulmonary angiograms but do have dyspnea and tachypnea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital 55139 Kurupelit, Samsun, Turkey. atillaatici@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Atilla G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Atici
authors.forename: Serhat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Findik
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Light
authors.forename: Sevket
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkaya
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erkan
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013479:Superior Vena Cava Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult