Skip to main content

Iliac Vein Injuries

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Clinical Review of Vascular Trauma

Abstract

Iliac vein injuries are highly lethal and present a substantial challenge to manage. They account for ~5% of cardiovascular injuries following trauma and are difficult to diagnose and repair due to their location deep in the pelvis. A high index of suspicion must be maintained to make a rapid diagnosis and have a chance at repair. Injury most frequently follows penetrating trauma, but iliac vein damage can also result from blunt force. Injuries are frequently associated with concomitant injury to the bowel and bladder with mortality following repair ranging between 20% and 50%. Iliac vein injuries may either be repaired surgically with lateral venorrhaphy or ligation. Additionally, endovascular repair techniques are a promising adjunct to open repair. The following text will review the causes, diagnosis, and management of iliac vein injuries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Asensio JA, Petrone P, Roldan G, Kuncir E, Rowe VL, Chan L, Shoemaker W, Berne TV. Analysis of 185 iliac vessel injuries: risk factors and predictors of outcome. Arch Surg. 2003;138:1187–93; discussion 1193–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Mattox KL, Feliciano DV, Burch J, Beall Jr AC, Jordan Jr GL, De Bakey ME. Five thousand seven hundred sixty cardiovascular injuries in 4459 patients. Epidemiologic evolution 1958 to 1987. Ann Surg. 1989;209:698–705.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Davis TP, Feliciano DV, Rozycki GS, Bush JB, Ingram WL, Salomone JP, Ansley JD. Results with abdominal vascular trauma in the modern era. Am Surg. 2001;67:565–70; discussion 570–1.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Carrillo EH, Spain DA, Wilson MA, Miller FB, Richardson JD. Alternatives in the management of penetrating injuries to the iliac vessels. J Trauma. 1998;44:1024–9; discussion 1029–30.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Oliver JC, Bekker W, Edu S, Nicol AJ, Navsaria PH. A ten year review of civilian iliac vessel injuries from a single trauma centre. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2012;44:199–202.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Haan J, Rodriguez A, Chiu W, Boswell S, Scott J, Scalea T. Operative management and outcome of iliac vessel injury: a ten-year experience. Am Surg. 2003;69:581–6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Burch JM, Richardson RJ, Martin RR, Mattox KL. Penetrating iliac vascular injuries: recent experience with 233 consecutive patients. J Trauma. 1990;30:1450–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tyburski JG, Wilson RF, Dente C, Steffes C, Carlin AM. Factors affecting mortality rates in patients with abdominal vascular injuries. J Trauma. 2001;50:1020–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Paul JS, Webb TP, Aprahamian C, Weigelt JA. Intraabdominal vascular injury: are we getting any better? J Trauma. 2010;69:1393–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Wilson RF, Wiencek RG, Balog M. Factors affecting mortality rate with iliac vein injuries. J Trauma. 1990;30:320–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Yoshii H, Sato M, Yamamoto S, Motegi M, Okusawa S, Kitano M, Nagashima A, Doi M, Takuma K, Kato K, Aikawa N. Usefulness and limitations of ultrasonography in the initial evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma. J Trauma. 1998;45:45–50; discussion 45–50.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kuncir EJ, Velmahos GC. Diagnostic peritoneal aspiration – the foster child of DPL: a prospective observational study. Int J Surg. 2007;5:167–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Valentino M, Serra C, Zironi G, De Luca C, Pavlica P, Barozzi L. Blunt abdominal trauma: emergency contrast-enhanced sonography for detection of solid organ injuries. Am J Roentgenol. 2006;186:1361–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Tayal VS, Nielsen A, Jones AE, Thomason MH, Kellam J, Norton HJ. Accuracy of trauma ultrasound in major pelvic injury. J Trauma. 2006;61:1453–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Bickell WH, Wall Jr MJ, Pepe PE, Martin RR, Ginger VF, Allen MK, Mattox KL. Immediate versus delayed fluid resuscitation for hypotensive patients with penetrating torso injuries. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:1105–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Pieracci FM, Biffl WL, Moore EE. Current concepts in resuscitation. J Intensive Care Med. 2012;27:79–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Kataoka Y, Maekawa K, Nishimaki H, Yamamoto S, Soma K. Iliac vein injuries in hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fracture caused by blunt trauma. J Trauma. 2005;58:704–8; discussion 708–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ghanayem AJ, Wilber JH, Lieberman JM, Motta AO. The effect of laparotomy and external fixator stabilization on pelvic volume in an unstable pelvic injury. J Trauma. 1995;38:396–400; discussion 400–1.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Velmahos GC, Toutouzas KG, Vassiliu P, Sarkisyan G, Chan LS, Hanks SH, Berne TV, Demetriades D. A prospective study on the safety and efficacy of angiographic embolization for pelvic and visceral injuries. J Trauma. 2002;53:303–8; discussion 308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Boulanger B, Green J, Rodriguez A. Blunt traumatic iliac vein laceration without pelvic fracture: a rare entity. J Vasc Surg. 1992;16:87–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Fantini GA, Pappou IP, Girardi FP, Sandhu HS, Cammisa Jr FP. Major vascular injury during anterior lumbar spinal surgery: incidence, risk factors, and management. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32:2751–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Brau SA, Delamarter RB, Schiffman ML, Williams LA, Watkins RG. Vascular injury during anterior lumbar surgery. Spine J. 2004;4:409–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Hamdan AD, Malek JY, Schermerhorn ML, Aulivola B, Blattman SB, Pomposelli Jr FB. Vascular injury during anterior exposure of the spine. J Vasc Surg. 2008;48:650–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Asensio JA, Chahwan S, Hanpeter D, Demetriades D, Forno W, Gambaro E, Murray J, Velmahos G, Marengo J, Shoemaker WC, Berne TV. Operative management and outcome of 302 abdominal vascular injuries. Am J Surg. 2000;180:528–33; discussion 533–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Lee JT, Bongard FS. Iliac vessel injuries. Surg Clin North Am. 2002;82:21–48.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Oderich GS, Panneton JM, Hofer J, Bower TC, Cherry Jr KJ, Sullivan T, Noel AA, Kalra M, Gloviczki P. Iatrogenic operative injuries of abdominal and pelvic veins: a potentially lethal complication. J Vasc Surg. 2004;39:931–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Tillman BW, Vaccaro PS, Starr JE, Das BM. Use of an endovascular occlusion balloon for control of unremitting venous hemorrhage. J Vasc Surg. 2006;43:399–400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhou W, Bush RL, Terramani TT, Lin PH, Lumsden AB. Treatment options of iatrogenic pelvic vein injuries: conventional operative versus endovascular approach – case reports. Vasc Endovascular Surg. 2004;38:569–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Zamir G, Berlatzky Y, Rivkind A, Anner H, Wolf YG. Results of reconstruction in major pelvic and extremity venous injuries. J Vasc Surg. 1998;28:901–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Feliciano DV, Mattox KL, Graham JM, Bitondo CG. Five-year experience with PTFE grafts in vascular wounds. J Trauma. 1985;25:71–82.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Larsen MB, Baekgaard N. Acceptable results after venous reconstructive surgery following iatrogenic injuries to the iliofemoral vein segment. Dan Med J. 2012;59:A4410.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Rasmussen TE, Clouse WD, Jenkins DH, Peck MA, Eliason JL, Smith DL. The use of temporary vascular shunts as a damage control adjunct in the management of wartime vascular injury. J Trauma. 2006;61:8–12; discussion 12–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Sullivan PS, Dente CJ, Patel S, Carmichael M, Srinivasan JK, Wyrzykowski AD, Nicholas JM, Salomone JP, Ingram WL, Vercruysse GA, Rozycki GS, Feliciano DV. Outcome of ligation of the inferior vena cava in the modern era. Am J Surg. 2010;199:500–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Rich NM, Hughes CW, Baugh JH. Management of venous injuries. Ann Surg. 1970;171:724–30.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Ksycki M, Ruiz G, Perez-Alonso A, Sciarretta J, Gonzalo R, Iglesias E, Gigena A, Vu T, Asensio J. Iliac vessel injuries: difficult injuries and difficult management problems. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2012;38:347–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Reynolds BM, Balsano NA. Venography in pelvic fractures: a clinical evaluation. Ann Surg. 1971;173:104–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Zieber SR, Mustert BR, Knox MF, Fedeson BC. Endovascular repair of spontaneous or traumatic iliac vein rupture. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2004;15:853–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Sofue K, Sugimoto K, Mori T, Nakayama S, Yamaguchi M, Sugimura K. Endovascular uncovered wallstent placement for life-threatening isolated iliac vein injury caused by blunt pelvic trauma. Jpn J Radiol. 2012;30:680–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr. MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Johnston, W.F., Pope, N.H., Upchurch, G.R. (2014). Iliac Vein Injuries. In: Dua, A., Desai, S., Holcomb, J., Burgess, A., Freischlag, J. (eds) Clinical Review of Vascular Trauma. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39100-2_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39100-2_20

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39099-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39100-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics