The Role of May-Thurner Syndrome in Recurrent Thrombosis after Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis of Deep Vein Thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) leads to an increased incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Early thrombus removal decreases the post-thrombotic morbidities. Our aim was to better elucidate the relationship between MTS and venous patency after catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT).

METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent CDT from January 2005 to December 2011 due to acute DVT were reviewed retrospectively. Patient characteristics and clinical variables were evaluated to determine association with vein patency.

RESULTS: A total of 51 male and 31 female with a mean age of 34.9 years were treated with CDT. During a median follow-up of 91.7 months, primary patency and secondary patency of all patients were 79.3% and 87.3%, respectively. The presence of MTS was the only significant predictor factor of patency.

CONCLUSIONS: The residual stenosis caused by MTS is a risk for recurrent DVT and should be treated with stenting to improve the outcome.