A Case Report of a Thrombectomy of Internal Jugular Vein Tumoral Thrombus of Follicular Thyroid Cancer Origin

Abstract

Intravascular tumor extension of a thyroid cancer is a rare but life-threatening condition. We report herein the case of a 66-year-old female patient with follicular thyroid carcinoma and an internal jugular vein (IJV) tumor thrombus. The patient had undergone a thyroidectomy at our institution and presented with left-sided swelling of face and neck. An MRI showed a thrombus within the left IJV, a finding confirmed by US. During surgery, a left IJV tumor thrombus was identified and excised followed by venous reconstruction. The pathological examination confirmed a follicular thyroid carcinoma. The patient received postoperative treatment with 150 mCi of 131I, followed by thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy with thyroxine. Although the fibrous capsule prevents the tumor’s invasion into the surrounding structures, the presence of a tumor thrombus carries a poor prognosis.