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Endovascular stenting of ascending lumbar for refractory inferior vena cava occlusion

Christopher T. Healey, MD, Neil Halin, DO, and Mark Iafrati, MD, Boston, Mass

Chronic inferior vena cava (IVC) occlusion is a debilitating disease process. Recently, endovascular techniques have been described using progressive balloon dilatation and stenting to treat IVC occlusion with reasonable success. We present two cases of endovascular dilatation and stenting of the ascending lumbar . This technique provided good early relief of symptoms with ulcer healing, decreased swelling, and decreased pain. To our knowledge this is the first report of endovascular therapy of IVC occlusion via stenting of the ascending lumbar vein. This technique may provide a feasible treatment option when the occluded IVC cannot be reopened. (J Vasc Surg 2006;44:879-81.)

Inferior vena cava (IVC) occlusion is a rare condition Next, the entire tract from the iliac to the SVC was crossed stemming from a variety of causes. Symptoms vary, de- with a 260-cm Nitrex guidewire (EV3, Plymouth, Minn) and pending on the adequacy of collateral drainage, but may predilated to 8 mm. Two 8-mm ϫ 15-cm and one 8-mm ϫ 10-cm include pain, edema, skin changes, venous stasis ulcers, and Viabahn stent-grafts (WL Gore & Assoc, Newark, Del) were weakness. Historically, medical treatment (anticoagulation, deployed. The entire tract was again dilated to 8 mm. Imaging at elevation, compression garments) has been the first line of the conclusion of the procedure demonstrated patency from the therapy. Surgical therapy has been offered rarely, with iliac to the SVC B(Fig). 1, mixed results.1-4 In recent years, endovascular stent place-The patient was maintained on heparin through the procedure ment has been reported as an alternative therapy with and restarted on warfarin and clopridogel after the procedure. He reasonable results.5-8 Previous reports of endovascularhad significant back pain postoperatively but at the 3-week follow- therapy for IVC occlusion relied on in-line recanalization of up, had significant improvement in his presenting leg pain and the IVC. In this report, we describe endovascular recanali- swelling and resolution of back pain. He subsequently was lost to zation of the ascending lumbar vein as an alternative ap- follow up for 9 months, but returned at 1 year with recurrent of proach to enhancing venous outflow when IVC patency symptoms. A repeat venogram demonstrated occlusion of ascend- cannot be directly restored. ing lumbar vein stent, which could not be traversed. The patient has declined further intervention at this point. CASE REPORTS Patient 2. A 46-year-old, 160-kg man presented with recur- Patient 1. A 36-year-old man presented with recurrent non- rent bilateral lower extremity edema and nonhealing ulcers (CEAP

healing bilateral ulcers (CEAP C6ESADPRO). At the age of 18, he C6ESADPRO). Six years prior he sustained a significant head injury was injured in a motorcycle accident, which resulted in a left leg in a motorcycle crash. He had a prophylactic IVC filter placed, deep vein thrombosis (DVT). He has since had recurrent DVTs which occluded on the initial hospitalization. During the interven- and has been on long-term anticoagulation therapy. In the past 15 ing 5 years, his treatment included endovascular stenting of the years, the patient has undergone superficial vein ligation and IVC, bilateral subfacial endoscopic perforator surgery, great saphe- stripping, axillary-to-popliteal vein transplantation, multiple nous vein-to- transposition, and axillary-to-popliteal débridements, and skin grafting. Severe refractory symptoms con- vein transplant. Refractory symptoms persisted despite these mea- tinued despite these measures. sures. A pelvic phlebogram performed via the right common femoral Under general anesthesia, percutaneous access to the right vein, under general anesthesia, demonstrated occlusion of the IVC common femoral vein was obtained. The IVC was occluded and with drainage predominately from a diffusely stenotic ascending could not be traversed. Using a glidewire and multiple catheters, lumbar vein (FigA ).1, Attempts to traverse the IVC were accessunsuc- to a large and diffusely stenotic ascending lumbar vein was cessful; therefore, the ascending lumbar was further investigated. obtained. The vein was traversed using a 0.018-inch roadrunner Multiple catheters and 0.035-inch and 0.018-inch wires were used wire and dilated to 5 mm. Activated clotting time was maintained to obtain access to a large ascending lumbar vein. This collateral at Ͼ200 seconds with heparin. Two 8-mm ϫ 15-cm Viabahn stent drained to the hemiazygous and eventually to a patent superior grafts were deployed. A stenosis at the confluence with the hepatic vena cava (SVC). vein was treated with a 8-mm ϫ 4-cm Protégé stent (EV3). At the conclusion, the vein was thrombosed and required thromboly- From the New England Medical Center. Competition of interest: none. sis. The next day the entire length was patent from the Presented at the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the American Venous to the SVC. Forum, Miami, Fla, Feb 22-26, 2006. He has been maintained on aspirin and warfarin. Lumbar back Reprint requests: Mark Iafrati, MD, Surgical Associates, 860 Washington St, pain and right leg weakness developed after the procedure. A Boston, MA 02111 (e-mail: [email protected]). computed tomography scan ruled out a retroperitoneal hemor- 0741-5214/$32.00 Copyright © 2006 by The Society for Vascular Surgery. rhage and demonstrated the three-dimensional anatomy of the doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2006.05.050 ascending lumbar vein (Fig 2). Neurology consultation and mag- 879 JOURNAL OF VASCULAR SURGERY 880 Healey, Halin, and Iafrati October 2006

either leg, for the first time in 5 years. These clinical results have been durable at 12 months of follow-up.

DISCUSSION These case reports demonstrate the early improvement that can be achieved by restoring venous outflow in patients with chronic IVC occlusion. Historically, few patients have been offered surgery for this condition because of the perceived high morbidity of such procedures. Gloviczki et al,3 from the Mayo clinic, reported the most extensive experience with surgical reconstruction of large veins for nonmalignant occlusions in 28 patients, 15 of whom had disease involving the IVC or iliac veins. They were recon- structed with a variety of techniques: 11 polytetrafluoro- ethylene (PTFE) grafts, three spiral saphenous vein grafts, and one Dacron graft. Seven (64%) of 11 had documented patency with a mean follow-up of 9 months. They con- cluded that short, large-diameter PTFE grafts perform best. In 2001, Jost4 providedet al an update on the Mayo experience in 42 patients treated over 15 years The second- ary 3-year patency rate of all reconstructions was 62%, with the Palma procedure having an 84% 4-year patency rate and PTFE grafts having a 45% 2-year patency rate. Endovascular techniques in recent years have provided new enthusiasm for the treatment of this difficult problem. In the early 1990s, endovascular stent placement for caval occlusion and stenosis was reported mostly in the form of case reports and subsets within other9-11 studies.In 2000, Rasavi et 6 reportedal technical success in 15 of 17 patients with IVC occlusion treated with endovascular stent place- ment. They reported a primary patency rate of 80% with a mean follow-up of 19 months and no complications. Harung et 7 asubsequently l reported good clinical, hemodynamic, and imaging results at 36 and 51 months in two cases of endovascular treatment of iliocaval occlu- sion secondary to retroperitoneal fibrosis. Most recently in 2005, Robbins 5 etreported al dramatic improvement in patients treated for chronic IVC occlusion with endovascu- lar techniques. They suggested that these techniques should be used in young patients with symptomatic IVC occlusion. The two patients we have presented had severe and disabling manifestations of venous outflow obstruction. Both had clearly failed medical therapy, aggressive surgical treatment of deep and superficial venous reflux, and also Fig 1. Access to the inferior vena cava (IVC) through right common femoral vein and iliac vein. A, Phlebogram shows oc- attempted IVC recanalization. We therefore established cluded IVC with collateral flow through diffusely stenotic ascend- flow from the iliac vein to SVC through the ascending ing lumbar vein. B, Completion phlebogram demonstrates unin- lumbar vein. Given the rich pelvic collaterals, both legs terrupted venous drainage through stented ascending lumbar vein symptomatically improved. The back and leg pain experi- from iliac to superior vena cava. enced by these patients, although temporary, may have indicated nerve root irritation and suggests the need for netic resonance imaging did not clearly elucidate source of neuro- caution in the application of this approach. Although not logic changes, but because the stent was close to the nerve roots, it ideal, this approach provided early relief of symptoms for was thought that local inflammation might have contributed. At 3 two patients with very limited options who were facing months, the patient had no back pain, leg weakness, or ulcers in long-term disability and perhaps even amputation. JOURNAL OF VASCULAR SURGERY Volume 44, Number 4 Healey, Halin, and Iafrati 881

Fig 2. A, Computed tomography scan of and obtained secondary to flank and back pain and (B) reconstruction demonstrate three-dimensional anatomy of ascending lumbar vein.

CONCLUSION 5. Robbins MR, Zacharia A, Comerota AJ. Endovascular stenting to treat chronic long-segment inferior vena cava occlusion. J Vasc Surg 2005; Iliocaval obstruction can be a disabling problem that 41:136-40. can be treated both surgically and with endovascular tech- 6. Razavi MK, Hansch EC, Kee ST, Sze DY, Semba CP, Dake MD. niques. These two cases demonstrate that stenting of the Chronically occluded inferior : endovascular treatment. ascending lumbar vein is a feasible treatment option when Radiology 2000;214:133-8. stenting or bypass of the IVC fails or is technically impos- 7. Hartung O, Alimi YS, DiMauro P, Portier F, Juhan C. Endocascular treatment of iliocaval occlusion caused by retroperitoneal fibrosis: late sible. The long-term benefits of such procedures remain to results in two cases. J Vasc Surg 2002;36:849-52. be seen, but the early results are encouraging. 8. Vedantham S, Vesley TM, Parti N, Darcy MD, Pilgram TK, Sicard GA, et al. Endovascular recanalization of the thrombosed filter-bearing REFERENCES inferior vena cava. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2003;14:893-903. 9. Nazarian G, Austin W, Wegryn S, Bjarnason H, Stackhouse DJ, 1. O’Donnell TF Jr, Mackey WC, Shepard AD, Callow AD. Clinical, Castaneda-Zuniga WR, et al. Venous recanalization by metallic hemodynamic, and anatomic follow-up of direct venous reconstruc- stents after failure of balloon angioplasty or surgery: four year tions. Arch Surg 1987;122:474-82. experience. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 1996;19:227-33. 2. Raju S, Fredericks R. Venous Obstruction: an analysis of one hundred 10. Elson JD, Becker GJ, Wholey MH, Ehrman KO. Vena caval and central thirty-seven cases with hemodynamic, venographic, and clinical corre- venous stenoses: management with Palmaz balloon-expandable intralu- lations. J Vasc Surg 1991;14:305-13. minal stents. J Vasc Interv Radiol 1991;2:215-33. 3. Gloviczki P, Pairolero PC, Toomey BJ, Bower TC, Rooke TW, Stanson 11. Roy S, Baijal S, Rastogi H. Iliocaval reconstruction with metallic stents. AW, et al. Reconstruction of large veins for nonmalignant occlusive Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn 1994;32:367-71. disease. J Vasc Surg 1992;16:750-61. 4. Jost CJ, Gloviczki P, Cherry KJ Jr, McKusik MA, Harmsen WS, Jenkins GD, et al. Surgical reconstruction of iliofemoral veins and the inferior vena cava for nonmalignant occlusive disease. J Vasc Surg 2001;33:320-7. Submitted Feb 20, 2006; accepted May 21, 2006.