Endovascular Stent Placement for May-Thurner Syndrome in the Absence of Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis.

PURPOSE

To assess the clinical utility of iliac vein stent placement for patients with chronic limb edema or pelvic congestion presenting with nonocclusive May-Thurner physiology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients (N = 45) undergoing stent placement for May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) without an associated acute thrombotic event between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed; 11 were excluded for poor follow-up. A total of 34 patients (28 female) were studied (mean age, 44 y; range, 19-80 y). Average follow-up time was 649 days (median, 488 d; range, 8-2,499 d).

RESULTS

The technical success rate was 100% (34 of 34). No major and two minor (5%) complications occurred, and 68% of patients (23 of 34) had clinical success with relief of presenting symptoms on follow-up visits. Technical parameters including stent size and number, stent type, concurrent angioplasty, access site, and resolution of collateral iliolumbar vessels were not found to be statistically related to clinical success (P > .05). Similarly, no significant relation to clinical success was seen for clinical factors such as the type of symptoms, presence of chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or concurrent coagulopathy (P > .05). Female sex was found to correlate with clinical success (82% vs 18%; P = .04).

CONCLUSIONS

Iliac stent placement in patients presenting with chronic limb or pelvic symptoms from MTS without acute DVT is associated with clinical success in the majority of patients.