Methods: Twenty-two patients ( 18 males, 4 females; mean age 34.2 years; range 24 to 61 years) who had undergone surgery with the diagnosis of inferior vena cava (IVC) injury in our clinic between May 2002 and July 2008, were analyzed. The surgical procedures and their results were retrospectively evaluated. The injuries were classified as penetrating traumas (n=17, 77%), blunt traumas (n=3, 13%), and gunshot injuries (n=2, 9%). Emergent laparotomy was performed for all patients. The surgical procedures performed included four methods: primary venoraphy (n=15, 68%), prosthetic graft interposition (n=1, 4%), repair with autogenous vein graft (n=4, 18%), and ligation (n=2, 9%).

Results: Of the 22 patients, only one patient died as a of consequence of hemodynamic instability in perioperative period. Reoperation was performed in six patients in the postoperative period. The mean duration of intensive care unit stay was 3.1±1.9 days, and the mean duration of hospital stay was 26.5 days. The patients were evaluated with Doppler ultrasonography in the postoperative period.

Conclusion: Inferior vena cava injuries caused by traumas can lead to life-threatening clinical pictures. The treatment method should be determined according to the pathological features and the degree of urgency of the case, and the use of synthetic materials should be avoided as much as possible.