Endovascular treatment of acute and chronic iliac vein occlusions has proven to be safe and effective. Recanalization of chronic occlusions with balloon angioplasty and stenting can re-establish normal venous flow in the iliac veins and the IVC and relieve symptoms in the majority of treated patients. CDT with recanalization and stenting of underlying chronically obstructed iliofemoral segments is becoming the treatment of choice for patients with acute iliofemoral thrombosis, as anticoagulation and compression therapy alone are not satisfactory in preventing PTS. The new treatment modalities offer stimulating options for a patient group that is not adequately treated, neither by medical nor open surgical therapy. The substantial effort and additional costs of endovascular treatment appear to be justified by the encouraging mid-term results both for patients with acute and chronic occlusive iliofemoral disease. However, multi-center randomized prospective studies are required to further validate the role of these techniques.
Keywords: catheter-directed thrombolysis; deep venous thrombosis; iliac vein occlusion; thrombolytic therapy; venous occlusive disease; venous recanalization; venous thromboembolism.