The Effect of Stenting on Venous Hypertension: Results Using a Treadmill Stress Test with Invasive Pressure Measurements in Patients with Iliofemoral Venous Obstruction

Objectives The primary aim was to investigate whether stenting of post-thrombotic iliofemoral obstruction reduces venous hypertension. The secondary aim was to establish whether improvement in haemodynamic parameters impacts on quality of life. Methods In this prospective observational study, 12 participants with unilateral post-thrombotic obstruction of the iliac and/or common femoral veins (CFVs) underwent a treadmill stress test with invasive pressure measurements in the CFVs and dorsal foot veins of both affected and non-affected limbs. This was performed the day before and 3 months after stenting the obstructed tract. Paired sample t -tests were used to compare the treatment effect and univariable linear regression analysis to determine the association with improvement in quality of life. Results Before treatment, CFV pressure increased 34.8 ± 23.1 mmHg during walking in affected limbs compared with 3.9 ± 5.8 mmHg in non-affected limbs. This pressure rise decreased to 22.3 ± 24.8 mmHg after 3 months follow up compared with a 4.0 ± 6.0 mmHg increase in non-affected limbs (−26.2 mmHg difference; 95% CI –41.2 to −11.3). No such effect was found in the dorsal foot veins. The VEINES-QOL increased 25.3 ± 11.3 points after stenting and was significantly associated with a decrease in CFV pressure rise during walking (regression coefficient 0.4; 95% CI 0.1–0.6). Conclusion Stenting of post-thrombotic iliofemoral obstruction significantly reduces venous hypertension in the common femoral vein and correlates with an improvement in the quality of life. Larger studies with a broader range of degree of obstruction need be performed to assess whether pre-stenting pressure measurements can predict post stenting clinical success.