Deep Venous Stenting Improves Healing of Lower Extremity Venous Ulcers

Background Long standing, recalcitrant venous ulcers fail to heal despite standard compression therapy and wound care. Stenting of central veins has been reported to assist in venous ulcer healing. This study reports outcomes of deep venous stenting for central venous obstruction in patients with recalcitrant venous ulcers at a single comprehensive wound care center. Methods A single center retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with CEAP (Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology) 6 disease that had undergone deep venous stenting in addition to wound care and compression therapy. Intra-operative details, wound healing, and stent patency rates were recorded. Stent patency and intra-operative details were compared between the healed and unhealed groups. Results Between 2010 and 2019, 15 patients met inclusion criteria (mean age: 63 years old, 12 males). Pre-operative mean wound area was 14.1 cm2 with mean wound duration of 30 months. 93% of patients healed the ulcers at mean healing time of 10.6 months. Wound recurrence rate was 57% with mean recurrence time of 14.8 months. Ten patients presented with an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter, 4 in the healed group and 6 in the unhealed group. The common iliac vein was stented in all patients. Extension into the IVC was required in 4, the common femoral vein in 11, and femoral vein in 2 patients. The average stent length was 190cm. During the follow-up period, primary patency rates in healed patients (mean follow-up time: 19.2 months) was 83% and 59% in the unhealed group (mean follow-up time: 36.6 months); secondary patency rates were 83% and 89%, respectively. Conclusions In patients with recalcitrant venous ulcers with central venous obstruction, deep venous stenting resulted in a high rate of healing. However, a prolonged 10-month healing time was observed and despite high stent patency, wound recurrence rate was high.