Surgical treatment of ovarian vein thrombosis.

Ovarian vein thrombosis is a rare but serious condition that may cause sepsis in the postpartum patient or may be associated with thrombosis of the inferior vena cava or renal vein. A 30-year-old woman presented 2 weeks postpartum with sudden onset of dyspnea and rightsided pleuritic chest pain. She was diagnosed with a large pulmonary embolus and thrombosis of the right ovarian vein. After failure of percutaneous embolization of the right ovarian vein, the patient underwent open surgical excision of the right ovarian vein. The management of ovarian vein thrombosis may involve systemic anticoagulation, antibiotics, thrombolysis, open surgical treatment, or a combination of these.