Ovarian Vein Thrombosis: Diagnosis and Management of an Unusual-Site Venous Thrombosis for the Acute Physician
- 1Hematology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, GBR
- 2Geriatric Medicine, The Royal Free Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, GBR
Abstract
Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare and under-recognised form of venous thromboembolism that is frequently missed due to absent or non-specific symptoms. Consequently, diagnosis is often delayed or made incidentally on cross-sectional imaging. Although OVT is usually associated with the postpartum period, it is increasingly recognised in patients with malignancy, pelvic surgery, and intra-abdominal infection. Potential complications may be life-threatening and include thrombus extension, pulmonary embolism, and, less commonly, sepsis and bleeding. Despite increasing recognition, evidence remains limited to small case series and reports. As such, there remains uncertainty regarding the optimal diagnostic approach and the use of anticoagulation, including indications for anticoagulation, duration of treatment, and follow-up. This review summarises the current evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, investigations, and management of OVT, and proposes a practical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of OVT for the acute physician.
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BibTeX
@article{walsh2026ovarian,
title = {{Ovarian Vein Thrombosis: Diagnosis and Management of an Unusual-Site Venous Thrombosis for the Acute Physician}},
author = {Rebecca Walsh and Sibonokuhle Moyo and Sally Irwin},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117327},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723292},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ovarian Vein Thrombosis: Diagnosis and Management of an Unusual-Site Venous Thrombosis for the Acute Physician
AU - Rebecca Walsh
AU - Sibonokuhle Moyo
AU - Sally Irwin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117327
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13723292
AB - Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare and under-recognised form of venous thromboembolism that is frequently missed due to absent or non-specific symptoms. Consequently, diagnosis is often delayed or made incidentally on cross-sectional imaging. Although OVT is usually associated with the postpartum period, it is increasingly recognised in patients with malignancy, pelvic surgery, and intra-abdominal infection. Potential complications may be life-threatening and include thrombus extension, pulmonary embolism, and, less commonly, sepsis and bleeding. Despite increasing recognition, evidence remains limited to small case series and reports. As such, there remains uncertainty regarding the optimal diagnostic approach and the use of anticoagulation, including indications for anticoagulation, duration of treatment, and follow-up. This review summarises the current evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, investigations, and management of OVT, and proposes a practical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of OVT for the acute physician.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -