Papers of the Week

Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is frequently encountered in clinical practice. Postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a common sequela of DVT and encompasses a wide variety of symptoms, including severe pain, edema, and ulceration, all of which may contribute to a negative impact on quality of life. Studies have demonstrated that acute thrombosis of the iliofemoral venous segment is correlated with high rates of PTS, increased severity of symptoms, and high rates of thrombus recurrence, despite patients receiving treatment with standard-of-care anticoagulation therapy. Endovascular interventions, including catheter-directed thrombolysis, pharmacomechanical thrombectomy, and mechanical thrombectomy, have generated significant interest as a method for reduction of short-term symptom severity and potential reduction of downstream PTS severity. While there is high-quality evidence evaluating the role of catheter-directed and pharmacomechanical thrombectomy for acute iliofemoral DVT, newer mechanical-only devices that utilize thrombectomy without fibrinolytic medication are less studied. Currently, there are limited data evaluating the efficacy and safety of these treatment modalities, although investigations are ongoing.