Female Gonadal Venous Insufficiency in a Clinical Presentation Which Suggested an Acute Abdomen—A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Pelvic venous insufficiency (PVI) is frequently associated with symptoms of abdominal pain or discomfort that is overlooked or under-diagnosed in women. Despite the fact that pelvic venous insufficiency in men is very well documented, its occurrence in women needs to be further studied. Patients with pelvic varicose veins undergo a long and inconclusive diagnostic work-up before the exact cause of the symptoms is identified. Gonadal venous insufficiency (GVI) is a condition that can present acutely, leading to diagnostic challenges. We present a case report of a 47-year-old female with acute abdominal pain and GVI, where endovascular embolization was used for successful treatment. The patient was diagnosed with GVI based on imaging findings of an enlarged left ovarian vein with retrograde flow and dilated pelvic veins seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast material. Due to the severity of her symptoms and imaging findings, endovascular embolization was chosen as the treatment modality. The embolization was successful, and the patient’s symptoms resolved completely. This case highlights the challenge of diagnosing GVI with acute clinical expression and the potential benefits of endovascular embolization as a treatment option. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal management strategies for acute GVI, but endovascular embolization should be considered a safe and effective option. At the same time, we present a short review of the recent literature data related to this topic.

Keywords

• venous insufficiency
• varicose veins
• female varicocele
• surgery
• interventional radiology