Recurrent Mondor's disease resolved after exeresis of abdominal lipoma

BACKGROUND. Mondor's disease is a rare disorder characterized by superficial thrombophlebitis, classically of the thoracic-epigastric and/or lateral thoracic veins. The etiopathogenesis of the disease is not entirely clear. OBJECTIVE. We report the case of a patient who presented with recurrent Mondor's disease involving the left abdominal wall along the thoracoepigastric vein as far as the ipsilateral iliac fossa where a lipoma was observed. METHODS. Surgical removal of the lipoma showed a close anatomical relationship between the affected veins and the neoformation. RESULTS. Follow-up after 1 year did not reveal any signs of relapse of the thrombophlebitis. CONCLUSION Since primary or secondary factors leading to hypercoagulability states were not detected in our patient, we speculate that the interference of venous flow by the abdominal lipoma was probably implicated in the etiopathogenesis of the disease.