Effectiveness of iliac vein stenting combined with endovenous laser treatment of recurrent varicose veins associated with iliac vein compression.

Background: Iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) is an underlying cause of varicose vein (VV) recurrence after venous surgery. However, the management of recurrent varicose veins (RVVs) combined with IVCS has rarely been reported. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of a one-stop procedure to correct outflow obstruction and superficial reflux for patients with RVVs and IVCS.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 102 consecutive patients diagnosed with RVVs. Computed tomography venography (CTV) was performed to confirm IVCS. The cases were divided into 2 groups: the IRVVs group, including patients with RVVs and IVCS (n=48), and the RVVs group, including patients with RVVs only (n=54). The characteristics, vein reflux, and clinical, etiological, anatomical, and pathophysiological (CEAP) distribution were investigated. Then, the IRVVs group patients who underwent endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) (n=39) were divided into a further 2 groups: the EVLA + S group (n=19), who received EVLA and stenting of iliac vein, and the EVLA group (n=20), who received EVLA treatment alone. The great/small saphenous vein (GSV/SSV) trunk occlusion, VV recurrence, visual analogue scale (VAS), and venous clinical severity score (VCSS) were investigated.

Results: The prevalence rate of femoral vein reflux was 81.2% in IRVVs group and 50% in RVVs group (P<0.05). In the IRVVs group, 72.9% of patients manifested as CEAP clinical class >3, which was higher than that in RVVs group (48.1%) (P<0.05). The 12-month GSV/SSV occlusion rate in the EVLA + S and EVLA groups were 94.7% and 90.0%, respectively. Totals of 9 patients in EVLA + S group and 6 patients in EVLA group had active venous ulcers, and the ulcer healing time in EVLA + S group was significantly shorter (27.22±7.12 46.67±9.83 days, P<0.05). The reductions in the VAS and VCSS values between baseline, 1 month, and 12 months in the EVLA + S group were more obvious than those in EVLA group (P<0.05).

Conclusions: The one-stop combination treatment of iliac venous stenting and EVLA in patients with RVVs and IVCS is safe and effective and provides prominent symptom relief, improved quality of life, and a more satisfactory ulcer healing than EVLA alone.