Comparison of different venous accesses through catheter-directed thrombolysis procedures in patients with acute deep vein thrombosis

Patients and methods: Between January 2013 and August 2016, 85 patients (42 males, 43 females; mean age 65 years; range 23 to 75 years) who were diagnosed with iliofemoral DVT underwent CDT. As the venous access route, femoral vein (FV) (n=20), popliteal vein (PV) (n=58), and vena safena parva (VSP) (n=7) were used.

Results: The lengths of thrombolysis were significantly shorter in DVT patients in whom PV and FV were used chosen for venous access, compared to VSP (p=0.03 and p=0.012, respectively). Although we used VSP as the access route in few patients in whom approach for PV was technically difficult, these patients had significantly lesser minor bleeding and ecchymosis in the puncture site, compared to the other venous access points (p<0.5).

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that CDT is a feasible method for acute, diffuse iliofemoral DVT patients. Choosing the right venous access route in the right patient is critical to obtain optimal results with less complication.