Clinical case:

35-year-old man, with no significant history, only smoking for 15 years. For 5 days before, he reported crampy epigastric pain of moderate intensity. He subsequently reported that the pain became generalized and increased in intensity, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, oral intolerance, and temperature rise. The physical examination showed signs of a systemic inflammatory response, conscious and oriented, abdomen painful on superficial and deep palpation at a generalized level but accentuated on the right flank, positive rebound with resistance, generalized tympanism, absent peristalsis. The operating room was entered for exploratory laparotomy, finding an ischemic-necrotic intestinal lesion at 190 - 240 cm from the angle of Treitz, and 400cc of blood fluid. Resection of the affected intestinal part is performed, with entire manual terminal end anastomosis. The specimen was sent to pathology, reporting an acute inflammatory process with transmural necrosis and vascular congestion. Given these findings, abdominal CT angiography was performed, which reported a filling defect in the superior mesenteric vein, secondary to thrombosis that extended to the confluence and the portal vein.

Conclusion:

Mesenteric and portal venous thrombosis is a very rare pathology in young patients without risk factors in whom abdominal pain occurs. The diagnosis is complex because the clinical and laboratory data are not very specific. However, we must take it into account in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain etiologies.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )