Thrombosis of the portal and superior mesenteric veins in a patient with a congenital and familial deficiency in antithrombin III (author's transl)

Thrombosis of the visceral veins is an extremely rare condition in cases of congenital and hereditary deficiency of antithrombin III, associated with recurring venous thorbosis of the limbs. The authors report such a case in a man of 40 years of age, who had this deficiency, associated with thrombosis of the portal and superior mesenteric veins and a portal cavernoma. They stress the frequent association of recurring peripheral vein thrombosis, portal vein thrombosis in adults, and thrombosis of the mesenteric vein, and the importance of systematic measurements of antithrombin III levels in these pathological conditions.