Journal of vascular surgery. Venous and lymphatic disorders
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Sep 2017
Comparative StudyEvaluation of thrombolysis using tissue plasminogen activator in lower extremity deep venous thrombosis with concomitant femoral-popliteal venous segment involvement.
Current guidelines recommend thrombolytic therapy for iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Anticoagulation is the standard treatment for femoral-popliteal and tibial-level DVT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) using tissue plasminogen activator vs standard anticoagulation alone in patients with lower extremity DVT involving the femoral-popliteal segment. ⋯ In patients with acute proximal DVT and concomitant femoral-popliteal venous segment involvement, CDT resulted in superior patency at 3 months and less PTS and valvular reflux. This was achieved without increase in bleeding complications compared with anticoagulation alone. Age was the major factor predictive of bleeding in either group. The results of this study may not be applicable to patients with pure femoral-popliteal venous segment DVT because only 3% of patients had this finding.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Sep 2017
Comparative StudyThe natural history and outcomes of line-associated upper extremity deep venous thromboses in critically ill patients.
Anticoagulation remains the standard of care for line-associated upper extremity deep venous thrombosis (UEDVT). This treatment carries the risk of hemorrhagic complications, possibly more so in surgical patients. Considering the low-risk profile of UEDVT-which is associated with fewer, less severe pulmonary emboli than lower extremity deep venous thrombosis-current UEDVT treatment guidelines may be overly aggressive. The goal of this study was to review outcomes of line-associated UEDVT in critically ill patients and to define the efficacy of current treatment protocols in pulmonary embolism (PE) prevention while avoiding hemorrhagic complications. ⋯ Major hemorrhagic complications are more common than symptomatic PE after anticoagulation for line-associated UEDVT in ICU patients, raising concern that current treatment guidelines are too aggressive. These data necessitate further prospective investigation to determine the optimal treatment protocol for line-associated UEDVT in this critically ill cohort.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Sep 2017
Percutaneous ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy with polidocanol microfoam for lymphatic malformations.
Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are low-flow congenital lesions that consist of cysts of varying size. Sclerotherapy with intralesional bleomycin and OK-432 has been reported to yield dramatically beneficial results for this disorder. However, inflammation-related symptoms are often seen after treatment with these sclerosing agents. On the other hand, polidocanol (POL) is reportedly associated with fewer allergic and inflammatory reactions. Up to now, however, very few reports have documented the use of POL microfoam for treatment of LMs. This study was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of POL microfoam sclerotherapy for LMs. ⋯ Percutaneous sclerotherapy using POL microfoam appears to be safe and effective for treatment of LMs. Ultrasound-guided POL microfoam sclerotherapy should be considered for such lesions, particularly those that are exclusively macrocystic.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · Jul 2017
Incidence of venous leg ulcer healing and recurrence after treatment with endovenous laser ablation.
The Effect of Surgery and Compression on Healing and Recurrence (ESCHAR) trial previously reported that patients with venous leg ulcers treated with saphenous stripping experienced a significantly reduced incidence of ulcer recurrence compared with patients treated with compression therapy. Most patients with leg ulcers and saphenous insufficiency are currently treated with endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA), but little information is available on the long-term results after EVTA in Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology (CEAP) clinical class 5 (C5) and class 6 (C6) patients. ⋯ Ulcers recurred in a minority of CEAP clinical C5 and C6 patients after EVTA of the saphenous veins. Ulcer recurrence was less frequent in patients without concomitant deep venous reflux and in those treated with phlebectomy of varicose veins at the time of EVTA. We suggest consideration of phlebectomy at the time of EVTA for patients with C5 and C6 venous insufficiency, particularly in those with isolated superficial venous insufficiency.
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J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord · May 2017
Evaluating the venous experience in vascular surgery training.
There is an increasing recognition and treatment of venous disease in the United States; results of the Society for Vascular Surgery 2014 membership survey showed that venous disease represents 18.8% of a vascular surgeon's current practice. Despite this, there are no operative objectives or case requirements specific to venous disease for vascular surgery trainees. The objective of this study was to examine the current venous surgical training experience of graduating vascular surgery trainees. ⋯ Current vascular surgery trainee experience is highly variable and not consistent with future vascular surgery clinical practice. Vascular surgery trainee fund of knowledge does not appear affected. Program directors should consider developing a better-defined venous curriculum that includes venous case minimums in defined categories.