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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> This approach is not without its drawbacks, however. According to the researchers, the clot-busting procedure can take as much as two to four days to work, significantly raising the risk for sudden bleeding. So, doctors usually only use the drug as a last resort.
But without quick and complete clot removal, permanent vein damage can occur over time, resulting in permanent disability. This condition -- known as post-thrombotic syndrome (PST) -- is characterized by chronic leg pain and swelling, along with skin thickening and severe ulceration. In extreme cases, gangrene and amputation can ensue.
In fact, half of the patients treated with blood thinner alone for a leg DVT eventually go on to develop PST, the researchers said.
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So, Garcia and his team tested the potential of the new "rapid lysis" technique to safely and quickly dissolve clots.
They focused on 102 men and women, averaging 47 years of age, who were all seeking care for extensive, large-volume DVTs. In most of these cases, the DVT ran the entire length of the leg -- from ankle to pelvis, or even beyond.
Radiologists first used imaging equipment to direct a catheter through the affected leg to the point of the clot. Using a high-powered spray device, a diluted, clot-dissolving drug was then delivered into and throughout the clot, effectively breaking it up.
The remnants of the clot were then sucked up by a saline jet that essentially vacuumed the clot into the catheter, removing it from the bloodstream as the catheter was pulled down and out of the affected leg.
After a year tracking patient progress, Garcia and his colleagues found that the rapid lysis treatment achieved full clot removal and blood flow restoration in over half of patients.
Another 31 percent of the patients had blood flow restored after the removal of a substantial amount of clot -- a little below two-thirds of the total blockage.
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