Point-of-Care Sonographic Diagnosis of Abdominal Wall Venous Thrombosis Associated With Inferior Vena Cava Ligation and Masquerading as Cellulitis

Abstract

Point-of-care sonography is commonly used for differentiating a drainable abscess from cellulitis in cases of clinically undifferentiated soft tissue infections. Its use in this setting may also lead to the discovery of unanticipated conditions. We report a case of a patient being treated for suspected abdominal wall cellulitis that point-of-care sonography revealed to be a thrombosed vein. This collateral vein had developed secondary to a prior ligation of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Both deep and superficial venous thromboses have occurred in patients with congenital absence of the IVC. To our best knowledge, there has been no previous report of the same occurring in an individual with a ligated IVC.