Objectives: To compare the long-term outcome for pregnant/puerperal women with iliofemoral venous thrombosis treated either with thrombectomy and additional anticoagulants or with anticoagulants alone.
Design: Retrospective study of two treatment methods.
Materials: Thirty women with iliofemoral venous thrombosis during pregnancy or puerperium were treated with thrombectomy and additional anticoagulants. Twenty-five women, with the same condition, treated with anticoagulants only were obtained from a registry. The mean follow-up time for both groups was 9 years. The patients of the two groups were well matched, had the same risk factor score and were comparable except for duration of symptoms before treatment.
Methods: The follow-up comprised history and clinical examination, colour Duplex ultrasound and venous strain-gauge plethysmography.
Results: Patency of iliac veins, symptoms of chronic venous disease, venous emptying and venous reflux did not differ between the groups. A significant reduction of outflow was found in 20% of the surgically treated patients and 16% of the controls. Impaired muscle pump function was seen in less than half of the patients in both groups.
Conclusions: Surgical thrombectomy does not offer any advantage over anticoagulation treatment alone in the long-term outcome for patients with iliofemoral venous thrombosis during pregnancy or puerperium.