The Role of Angiojet Rheolytic Thrombectomy in The Management of Iliofemoral Deep Venous Thrombosis

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a common disease affecting approximately 0.1% of the world population.1 The incidence of DVT steadily increases as the patient gets older. One-third of patients with DVT may develop pulmonary embolism (PE)2. DVT can significantly influence the quality of life of patients, and it represents an important clinical and economic disease burden on health-care systems.

Over the years, different options for DVT treatment have been introduced to restore patency, save valve function, and reduce the occurrence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS).

The conventional treatment of acute DVT aims to prevent thrombus propagation and to reduce the risks of PE and DVT recurrence5. However, this treatment is ineffective at reducing thrombus burden and consequently does not prevent PTS. Recent advances in catheter-based interventions have led to the development of a variety of minimally invasive endovascular strategies to remove venous thrombus.

Lower-extremity DVT, especially proximal or iliofemoral DVT, has been demonstrated to confer the greatest risk for complications such as pulmonary embolism, thrombosis recurrence, and post- thrombotic syndrome. Most practice guidelines recommend early clot removal for patients with iliofemoral DVT who have symptoms less than 14 days in duration, good functional ability, and acceptable life expectancy and who are at low risk for bleeding complications.

Removal of clot can be achieved by using catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) or pharmacomechanical.Use of CDT is limited because of the lengthy procedure/hospitalization time and intensive care unit (ICU) stays required for the procedure11. pharmacomechanical was developed to address the limitations of CDT by combining catheter-based and mechanical technology to fragment and/or aspirate thrombus in addition to delivering a thrombolytic drug throughout the thrombus.

Percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) technique is highly effective at clearing thrombus, which preserves venous valve function and prevents subsequent PTS. The use of RT to treat DVT may reduce long-term morbidity in DVT patients by restoring the patency of the veins and preventing pulmonary embolism.