Case Reports
Vol. 5 No. 4 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.4081/btvb.2026.422

Anticoagulant treatment in patients with internal jugular vein thrombosis: a case serie

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Published: 14 October 2026
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Atypical thrombosis, anticoagulation, jugular vein

Authors

Arianna Pannunzio
arianna.pannunzio@uniroma1.it
Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialty Paride Stefanini, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Ilaria Maria Palumbo
Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialty Paride Stefanini, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Luca Tretola
Department of Medical and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Elena Ciambella
Department of Medical and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Valentina Castellani
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Maddalena Ragazzo
Physician, Alessandrino Acismon Long-term Care Facility, Rome, Italy.
Pasquale Pignatelli
Department of Medical and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Emanuele Valeriani
Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialty Paride Stefanini, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Internal jugular vein thrombosis (IJVT) is an uncommon form of venous thrombosis that may be associated with either transient or persistent risk factors. According to current international guidelines, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) represent the first-line anticoagulant therapy; however, data on the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in this setting remain limited. The aim of this case series was to describe the clinical characteristics and to compare the efficacy and safety outcomes of VKAs, DOACs, and parenteral anticoagulants in patients with IJVT. In this retrospective single-center study, we consecutively enrolled 29 patients, 17 were treated with VKAs, 10 with DOACs and 2 with parenteral anticoagulants. Among five patients who experienced recurrence of thrombosis, three cases occurred following discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. The remaining two recurrences were observed during ongoing treatment. Five bleeding events were reported, with no difference among the three groups and none classified as major bleeding. These findings suggest that DOACs may be a safe and effective option for anticoagulant treatment in IJVT, as evidenced by low recurrence rates during therapy and the absence of major bleeding events.

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Ethics Approval

The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee (no. 6573). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their enrollment in the study.

CRediT authorship contribution

AP and IMP share co-first authorship; EV and PP share co-senior authorship. All the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Data Availability Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Arianna Pannunzio, Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialty Paride Stefanini, Sapienza University of Rome

 

 

How to Cite



1.
Pannunzio A, Palumbo IM, Tretola L, Ciambella E, Castellani V, Ragazzo M, et al. Anticoagulant treatment in patients with internal jugular vein thrombosis: a case serie. Bleeding Thromb Vasc Biol [Internet]. 2026 Oct. 14 [cited 2026 Oct. 14];5(4). Available from: https://www.btvb.org/btvb/article/view/422
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