Aortoiliac thrombi in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Isolated arterial thrombi complicating inflammatory bowel disease occurs rarely. We encountered a case of a 28-year-old man with Crohn disease who presented with abdominal pain and severe claudication and was found to have an isolated aortoiliac thrombus. Bilateral aortoiliac thromboembolectomies were performed with successful restoration of femoral blood flow. Long-term anticoagulation therapy was instituted after an extensive hypercoagulable workup, which failed to reveal an etiology for the patient's coagulopathy. We present our case and perform an extensive literature review on this topic.