Downingtown native Zachary Reigel, a Penn State sophomore, lived 19 years without knowing he was missing the inferior vena cava, the main vein going from his lower body to his heart, writes Mari Schaefer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Reigel had issues with nausea and leg numbness after playing basketball most of his life, but doctors could not find the cause. After being admitted to Mount Nittany Medical Center, doctors discovered he was missing a major vein.
“We were amazed that he had survived 19 years without the main vein going back to his heart,” said Reigel’s mother, Nancy.
The vascular surgeon also found blood clots from his navel to his legs, which doctors broke up using a tissue plasminogen activator. However, they soon reappeared.
Deepak Sudheendra, an interventional radiologist, tried to find other ways to deal with the issue, but this proved fruitless.
Finally, he decided to reconstruct the missing vein, and after an eight-hour surgery, Reigel had a replacement for his IVC. Now, he has begun playing basketball again.
“I think he will live a normal life,” said Sudheendra.
Read more about the rare diagnosis in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.
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