Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis due to COVID-19 vaccination: a case report

The worldwide vaccination response to COVID-19 has been associated with rare thrombotic complications, including the case of postvaccination splanchnic venous thrombosis we report here.

An 80-year-old Japanese male with abdominal pain presented to our hospital six days after receiving a dose of the COVID-19 messenger ribonucleic acid vaccine. Abdominal computed tomography showed localized edema of the small intestine, increased density of the surrounding adipose tissue, and a thrombus in the superior mesenteric vein. Conservative inpatient treatment with unfractionated heparin relieved the thrombosis, and the patient is currently receiving oral apixaban as an outpatient.

Reported cases of thrombosis after COVID-19 vaccination typically have been associated with viral vector vaccines, with few reports of thrombosis induced by mRNA vaccines. The potential for venous thrombosis should be explored when patients present with abdominal pain soon after COVID-19 vaccination.