Budd-Chiari syndrome secondary to traumatic stenosis of the inferior vena cava.

Budd-Chiari syndrome with inferior vena cava involvement is usually due to membranous obstruction; traumatic origin of inferior vena cava lesions is very rare. We report a case of Budd-Chiari syndrome in a 29 year-old man, 3 years after an abdominal trauma. Cavography showed 50 % stenosis in the sushepatic portion of the inferior vena cava. After two unsuccessful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty procedures, a surgical resection of the stenotic vein was performed. The histological study of the stenotic segments showed that the three layers of the venous wall had been replaced by a dense fibrous tissue. No inflammation or thrombosis were found. This case of stenosis of the vena cava shows that histological examination can be used to assess the traumatic nature of the lesion, showing a different histological pattern from that of the membranous obstruction in which the basic structure of the venous wall is preserved.