\n The addition of stenting to usual care reduced symptoms and improved quality of life for patients with the condition after DVT.\n <\/p>\n
Patients who develop postthrombotic syndrome and obstructed iliac veins following deep vein thrombosis (DVT) experience more symptom relief when endovascular therapy is added to usual care, according to results from the C-TRACT trial.<\/p>\n
At 6 months, patients randomized to iliac vein stenting and enhanced antithrombotic therapy had better scores on the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS), an assessment of the severity of postthrombotic syndrome, than those treated with standard care consisting of compression stockings, anticoagulant therapy, lifestyle modification, and referral for wound care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, both when we were looking at venous symptoms and health, and looking at patient\u2019s overall health status, the patients who were stented [had] improved health-related quality of life demonstrated by higher scores on questionnaires. The size of the differences are pretty robust relative to what we know about the scales,\u201d said lead investigator Suresh Vedantham, MD (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO), speaking with the media following his presentation at the Society of Interventional Radiology 2026 annual scientific meeting.<\/p>\n
He noted that about 40% of patients who develop a DVT in or above the knee will develop postthrombotic syndrome as a complication. This happens as a result of treated clots that haven\u2019t fully dissolved and become sticky or develop into scar tissue that clogs up veins and prevents smooth blood flow.\u200aTypically, patients with the syndrome experience leg swelling, aching, heaviness, and ulcerations, he added.<\/p>\n
Operators in the trial were allowed to use any commercially available venous stent, with those most commonly used being Abre (Medtronic) and Venovo (Becton Dickinson). The C-TRACT investigators did not explicitly study outcome differences between the different stents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that this is more of a class effect,\u201d Vedantham told TCTMD, adding that the studies that were done to get US Food and Drug Administration approval of all available venous stents were fairly similar, with no reason to suspect there will be disparities based on the device. \u201cIf I had to guess, I\u2019d anticipate that we\u2019ll find pretty similar results across the stents that have been approved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n