Thrombus is one of the serious complications associated with the use of a central venous catheter (CVC). We report the case of a 74-year-old Japanese man with a large CVC thrombus who successfully underwent thrombolytic treatment. The infusion of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) was effective for achieving a partial dissolution of the thrombus, and the CVC was thereafter successfully removed without any serious complications during both the clinical course and the long-term follow-up period. We therefore consider thrombolytic treatment with rt-PA to be effective and not overly invasive, and may thus be useful in treating patients experiencing a CVC-related thrombus.
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