Acute pulmonary thromboembolism from deep vein thrombosis induced by trauma to the popliteal vein with a tennis racket.

Acute pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is mainly caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and sometimes leads to a fatal outcome. Few cases of sport-related lower extremity DVT, involving direct external trauma, have been reported. A 58-year-old man, without any risk factors for thromboembolism suffered acute PTE from DVT after playing tennis. A detailed history revealed that he had hit his popliteal vein with each swing of his tennis racket and the site of the trauma, at popliteal fossa, was exactly the same as the site of the DVT formation. Therefore, the cause of DVT was suspected to be the repeated trauma to the popliteal vein. The repeated external trauma to the popliteal vein may have caused vascular endothelial damage, leading to DVT. <Learning objective: Traumatic injuries may cause DVT because of vascular endothelial injury. This case indicates that traumatic DVT must be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients without known risks or causes of DVT.>.