Abstract
Behçet's disease is a systemic process of unknown etiology that features a prolonged, intractable course. Characteristic pathologic findings include recurrent orogenital ulcers and ocular and cutaneous inflammatory lesions. The disease may also involve the articular, neurologic, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems. Vascular lesions reportedly vary from arterial occlusions and aneurysms to thrombophlebitis. Budd-Chiari syndrome due to thrombosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) has been rarely reported. Here the authors report a thirty-six-year-old Japanese woman with Behçet's disease who developed Budd-Chiari syndrome secondary to inferior vena cava thrombosis. She was treated successfully by cavoatrial bypass. Although the graft was thrombosed, she has been asymptomatic for five years after surgery. Cavoatrial bypass could be considered as a surgical option to immediately relieve hepatic congestion due to caval thrombosis.
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