Postoperative ovarian vein thrombosis and treatment with direct oral anticoagulant

Abstract

Postoperative ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare complication following hysterectomy. Due to its ambiguous presentation, most frequently presenting as a fever with no known source and lower quadrant abdominal pain, OVTs are commonly diagnosed incidentally on computed tomography as a low-attenuation thrombus in place of the ovarian vein. The cornerstones of OVT treatment include anticoagulation and antibiotic therapy; however, there are no current guidelines to inform provider decision-making regarding specific anticoagulant agents, dosing, or length of therapy. We present a patient with a history of deep-vein thrombosis, who presented to the emergency department with OVT following a laparoscopic hysterectomy. She was treated with apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), and experienced repeated episodes of vaginal bleeding and hematoma expansion. We present this case to instill a high index of suspicion for OVT after laparoscopic hysterectomy, and to discuss the role of DOACs in patients with thromboembolic disease and concurrent bleeding.