Inferior Vena Cava Filter Strut Penetration into the Vertebral Column: A Case of 10-Year Clinical Follow Up.

Background: The rate of vena cava (IVC) filter placement has increased over the past decade, especially in the orthopaedic trauma patient population. With the increasing use of IVC filters, radiologists and referring clinicians must be familiar with potential complications.

Clinical Case: This case report presents an 18-year-old polytraumatized patient who had an IVC filter placed and required T8-L2 posterior spinal fusion. At 4.5 years of follow-up, a computed tomography (CT) scan for painful spinal hardware incidentally found that the IVC filter had migrated into the L3 vertebral body. The patient eventually underwent removal of her spinal hardware, but the IVC filter migration was managed conservatively with routine surveillance. At 10 years follow-up, the patient continued to remain asymptomatic despite of filter penetration into the vertebral body.

Conclusion: This case demonstrates, long term follow-up for an asymptomatic patient with IVC migration and vertebral body penetration. This case may suggest that attempt at complex IR filter retrieval is not necessarily warranted in scenarios of strut penetration.