What is a Central Vein Blockage and Endovenous Recanalization?
Veins carry blood back to the heart. They cannot do this normally when they are narrowed, scarred or blocked. Blood will back up behind the blocked veins. This can lead to swelling, pain, skin changes, or bulging veins. Blood clots can form in or around the blocked veins, which can make the blockage worse.
A minimally invasive treatment to reopen blocked veins is called “endovenous recanalization.”
How is Endovenous Recanalization done?
You will be given medicine to help you relax. The skin on your neck, upper thigh, arm, knee and/or ankle will be cleaned and numbed. The appropriate areas are chosen depending on where the blockage is located. The clinician will slip a thin tube through a pinhole in the skin into the vein. They will use X-rays to guide the tube to the blocked vein and try to cross it. If successful, they will try to reopen it. Very tight or old blockages can require special techniques to cross them. They use tiny balloons to stretch the veins open. Some veins may need a small metallic tube called a stent to stay open. If blood clots are present, the clinician may need to remove or dissolve them with clot-busting medication. After opening the veins, they remove the tube and put a bandage on the skin.
Endovenous Recanalization
1. After numbing the skin, the clinician threads a small tube into the vein at the top of the thigh, wrist, knee or ankle. They use x-rays to guide the tube to the blocked vein.
2. Once they reach the blockage, they use a balloon to stretch the blood vessel open. If needed, they may leave a wire mesh tube to keep the vein open.
3. After, they remove the tube and place a bandage over the pinhole in the skin.
What are the risks?
Endovascular recanalization for central vein blockage is generally a safe procedure when done by a specialist.
2-5 in 100 people develop
infection
bleeding
damage to the vein, especially when the blockage is hard to cross.
What are the alternatives?
Your treatment options depend on your preferences, overall health and unique conditions.
Alternative 1 No treatment. The disadvantage of this is that the blockage will remain and may worsen. More blood clots could form over time. This in turn could lead to worsening symptoms.
Alternative 2 Surgery can repair the vein or bypass the blockage. However, surgery has significantly higher risks.