A case report of asymptomatic aortic thrombosis incidentally detected by computed tomography in apparently healthy subject with a history of cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: Aortic thrombosis is a rare disease and only a few cases of the disease, especially associated with chemotherapy for malignant diseases and/or blood diseases, have been previously reported. Although Virchow's triad for thrombogenesis, namely hypercoagulability, blood flow stasis, and vessel wall injury, is the major factor promoting the formation of thrombosis, the detailed mechanism of the disease has not been well established. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of aortic thrombosis incidentally detected by computed tomography and then regressed by pharmacotherapy using warfarin. This case is an apparently healthy man in a postoperative state after lung cancer surgery with decreased protein-C activity. CONCLUSIONS: A case of aortic thrombosis without an obvious abnormality of the aorta was incidentally identified. A few cases of aortic thrombosis in healthy aortas have been reported to be associated with chemotherapy or blood diseases, however our present case did not had such a background. Although the detailed mechanism remains to be elucidated, this case suggests that aortic thrombosis can develop in apparently healthy subjects with a history of cancer surgery.