The overall rate of symptomatic lower-extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following arthroscopic ACL procedures is reported to be <0.3%, and guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians recommend against DVT prophylaxis prior to arthroscopic knee surgery, unless a patient has risk factors for blood clots. But some patients are unknowingly at high risk for clots, as a case report byAckerman et al. in the June 10, 2105 JBJS Case Connector shows.
A 45-year-old woman presented for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction in her left knee. Unbeknownst to her or her surgeons, the patient had asymptomatic May-Thurner syndrome—an anatomic variant of the iliac blood vessels in which the right common iliac artery crosses over the left common iliac vein, compressing the vein against the lumbar spine.
