To assess the CT findings of acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in a lower extremity prior to catheter-directed thrombolysis, and to evaluate their relevance to the patency of an iliac venous stent placed with the help of CT after catheter-directed thrombolysis of DVT.

Fourteen patients [M:F=3:11; age, 33-68 (mean, 50.1) years] with acute symptomatic DVD of a lower extremity underwent CT before and after catheter-directed thrombolysis using an iliac venous stent. The mean duration of clinical symptoms was 5.0 (range, 1-14 days. The CT findings prior to thrombolysis were evaluated in terms of their anatomic cause and the extent of the thrombus, and in all patients, the patency of the iliac venous stent was assessed at CT performed during a follow-up period lasting 6-31 (mean, 18.9) months.

All patients were assigned to the patent stent group (n=9) or the occluded stent group (n=5). In the former, the anatomic cause of patency included typical iliac vein compression (May-Thurner syndrome) (n=9), and a relatively short segmental thrombus occurring between the common iliac and the popliteal vein (n=8). Thrombi occurred in the iliac vein (n=3), between the common iliac and the femoral vein (n=3), and between the common iliac and the popliteal vein (n=2). In one case, a relatively long segmental thrombus occurred between the common iliac vein and the calf vein. In the occluded stent group, anatomic causes included atypical iliac vein compression (n=3) and a relatively long segmental thrombus between the common iliac and the calf vein (n=4). Typical iliac vein compression (May-Thurner syndrome) occurred in two cases, and a relatively short segmental thrombus between the external iliac and the common femoral vein in one.

Factors which can affect the patency of an iliac venous stent positioned affer catheter-directed thrombolysis are the anatomic cause of the stenosis, and the extent of a thronbus revealed at CT of acute DVT and occurring in a lower extremity prior to thrombolysis.