Vascular Interventional and Radiology Treatments for Venous Disease

Veins return blood from the body back to the heart. They are located deep within the body as well as closer to the skin’s surface.

DVT is a type of thrombosis (blood clot) that occurs in veins deep within the body. DVTs may cause symptoms like swelling, pain, skin color changes and skin wounds (ulcers). Long-term or chronic symptoms are known as post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).

Treatment may include endovascular procedures, including thrombolysis (breaking up the blood clot) or thrombectomy (removing the blood clot).

In some cases, venous reconstruction may be the best treatment to restore normal blood flow. Using advanced image-guided techniques, an interventional radiologist reopens a closed vein (venous recanalization) using wires and catheters (thin tube) and may place a stent (tube) to hold the vein open if necessary.

May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) occurs when a major vein is abnormally compressed or closed. The compression may cause symptoms such as pain, swelling, skin wounds (ulcers) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The syndrome most commonly occurs in the iliac vein, located in the abdomen. Compression of the iliac vein is known as iliac vein compression syndrome.

Interventional radiologists may treat MTS by placing a stent in the compressed vein to keep it open and restore normal blood flow during the process. This may be done together with treatment of DVT if present.

Varicose veins are abnormal, dilated, twisting veins that occur near the skin’s surface. They are commonly found in the arms or legs. Varicose veins cause symptoms including skin irritation, pain, achiness and skin discoloration. Spider veins, which appear just under the skin as discolored, damaged veins, are a type of varicose vein.

Any one of several endovascular procedures may be best to treat your varicose veins. Treatments include sclerotherapy (scarring), heat ablation (scarring) or glue ablation, which all close the abnormal veins, rerouting the blood through normal routes.

Our interventional radiologists will work with you to determine which procedure is best for you.

Sometimes we are unable to reopen (recanalize) veins to restore blood flow to the heart. In these cases, interventional radiologists will create a new route (extra-anatomic venous bypass) for blood in the arm to return to the heart.

This minimally invasive procedure creates a new passage for blood flow under the skin using wires and catheters. Interventional radiologists place stents (tubes) next to veins to connect the new path to more centrally located veins, restoring blood flow to the heart.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot or a piece of soft tissue blocks the arteries of the lungs. Symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, low oxygen saturation, and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) may occur when this happens. PEs can be life-threatening.

Depending on the symptoms, endovascular treatments may be indicated to treat your PE. Advanced endovascular techniques are used by our expert interventional radiologists, including thrombolysis (dissolving clot with medications) or thrombectomy (removing blood clot).