Totally implantable chemotherapy catheter embolization in inferior vena cava

Abstract Fracture of a peripherally inserted catheter causing embolization in patients on chemotherapy is a serious and rare complication, constituting less than 1% of complications related to this procedure. We report here a case of fully implantable catheter embolization in a 57-year-old female who had undergone laparotomy for complex adnexal lesion due to ovary cancer with disseminated peritoneal carcinomatosis, diagnosed intraoperatively. The patient was treated with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and radical oncological surgery was not performed. Histopathological analysis revealed G3 ovarian adenocarcinoma. In October 2013, a routine radiological examination diagnosed fracture and embolization of the distal segment of the catheter into the retrohepatic and suprahepatica inferior vena cava. The patient did not present any symptoms. The catheter was withdrawn through the femoral vein using the snare technique, without complications. The patient has no evidence of disease 24 months after the procedure.