Renal vein thrombosis - Etiology, diagnosis, therapeutic options

The majority of venous thrombotic events involve the extremities, although venous thrombosis may occur at any location, including organ veins. The appropriate evaluation and treatment has been well defined for venous thromboembolism of the legs, but it remains less clear for venous thrombosis involving other venous segments. Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) is a rather uncommon but possibly very serious clinical entity characterized by a number of underlying causes and risk factors, a very broad spectrum of clinical manifestation, unknown outcome, and poorly defined treatment strategy. The purpose of this review is to summarize the corporate literature regarding etiology, diagnostic modalities, clinical manifestation and, particularly, therapeutic options on which to base recommendations for anticoagulant therapy.