Midterm clinical outcomes of mechanical versus rheolytic thrombectomy for iliofemoral or iliocaval deep vein thrombosis

OBJECTIVE: In patients with iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT), early thrombus removal reduces the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). It remains uncertain if mechanical thrombectomy (MT) using the ClotTriever system may offer advantages as compared with rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) using the AngioJet ZelanteDVT. METHODS: In our multicenter, retrospective, observational study, we included 122 patients (mean age, 48 years; 57% women) with iliofemoral (78%) or iliocaval DVT (22%). All underwent early thrombus removal with either MT (n = 40) or RT (n = 82) and had a minimum of 3 months of follow-up. Periprocedural outcomes included periprocedural thrombolytic use, access complications, and stent placement rate. Clinical outcomes included stent patency rate and freedom from PTS. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 25 months (interquartile range, 11-52 months). Compared with RT, MT was associated with lower periprocedural thrombolytic use (38% vs 95%; P < .01) and a lower rate of stent placement (70% vs 98%; P < .01). Postprocedural access site thrombosis of the popliteal vein occurred in 5 MT patients (13%) and in none of the RT patients. At 1 year, primary and secondary patency rates were 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 67%-95%) and 97% (95% CI, 93%-100%) in the MT group, and 88% (95% CI, 81%-96%) and 97% (95% CI, 94%-100%) in the RT group, respectively. Freedom from PTS at latest follow-up was observed in 98% of the MT group (95% CI, 93%-100%) and 94% of RT patients (95% CI, 87%-100%). CONCLUSIONS: Both MT and RT were associated with high patency rates and freedom from PTS. MT may decrease the need for thrombolysis and venous stent placement. Popliteal vein thrombosis from large-bore access in MT patients requires further investigation.