Clinical efficacy of one-stage thrombus removal via contralateral femoral and ipsilateral tibial venous access for pharmacomechanical thrombectomy in entire-limb acute deep vein thrombosis

Objective In the present study, we compared the early results between different approaches for pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (PMT) in the treatment of entire-limb acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Methods The present retrospective cohort study included patients with entire-limb acute DVT who had undergone PMT from January 2016 to March 2019 at two independent vascular centers. At the first center (Renji Hospital), the vascular surgeons used contralateral femoral venous access or ipsilateral tibial venous access (CFVA/ITVA). All consecutive patients with entire-limb acute DVT had undergone PMT through CFVA/ITVA at the first center. At the second center (Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital), the vascular surgeons had conducted PMT using the traditional approach via ipsilateral popliteal venous access (IPVA). All consecutive patients had undergone PMT through IPVA at the second center. The primary endpoint was the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). The secondary endpoints included thrombus removal grade, venous primary patency rate, and the incidence of moderate-to-severe PTS. Results A total of 73 patients were enrolled in the present study, including 37 patients with CFVA/ITVA at the first center and 36 patients with IPVA at the second center. No significant difference was detected between the two groups in age, gender, onset time, affected limb, or risk factors. The proportion of patients who had undergone catheter-directed thrombolysis was significantly lower in the CFVA/ITVA group than in the IPVA group (P = .010). Thrombus removal grade III was achieved more often in the CFVA/ITVA group than in the IPVA group (P = .007). The PTS incidence was significantly lower in the CFVA/ITVA group than in the IPVA group (P = .043). The thrombus removal grade and access type were independent factors associated with the development of PTS. Patients with complete thrombus removal (grade III) and CFVA/ITVA had a significantly lower incidence of PTS. Conclusions PMT can increase the thrombus clearance rate, reduce the requirement for subsequent catheter-directed thrombolysis, and, potentially, decrease the incidence of PTS using CFVA/ITVA instead of traditional IPVA in the treatment of entire-limb acute DVT.