[A 26-year-old woman with splanchnic vein thrombosis as the initial manifestation of polycythemia vera].

A 26-year-old woman, after cesarean section in the 33rd week of gestation, developed after delivery thrombosis of the popliteal vein, pulmonary embolism and thrombosis of the portal vein. After completion of a six month period of oral anticoagulation, laboratory investigations revealed diminished levels of plasminogen and free protein S antigen as well as APC-resistance due to heterozygous FV R506Q mutation. After six uneventful years, abdominal sonography and magnetic resonance examination, performed because of abdominal pain, showed liver cirrhosis with Budd-Chiari syndrome. Additional hematological investigations led to the diagnosis of polycythemia vera. Association of myeloproliferative disorders, mainly polycythemia vera, with splanchnic venous thrombosis is well known and should always be looked for.