Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?

Abstract Background Endovascular stenting is widely accepted as the standard treatment for central venous obstruction syndromes such as superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome due to its demonstrated clinical efficacy and improved patient outcomes. However, its application in axillosubclavian vein thrombo...

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Main Authors: Gabriel E. Li, Mayura P. Umapathy, David S. Shin, Matthew Abad-Santos, Eric J. Monroe, Jeffrey Forris Beecham Chick, Mina S. Makary
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-08-01
Series:CVIR Endovascular
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s42155-025-00577-4
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author Gabriel E. Li
Mayura P. Umapathy
David S. Shin
Matthew Abad-Santos
Eric J. Monroe
Jeffrey Forris Beecham Chick
Mina S. Makary
author_facet Gabriel E. Li
Mayura P. Umapathy
David S. Shin
Matthew Abad-Santos
Eric J. Monroe
Jeffrey Forris Beecham Chick
Mina S. Makary
author_sort Gabriel E. Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Endovascular stenting is widely accepted as the standard treatment for central venous obstruction syndromes such as superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome due to its demonstrated clinical efficacy and improved patient outcomes. However, its application in axillosubclavian vein thrombosis (ASVT) has been limited due to concerns about stent compression within the thoracic outlet. This report aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the off-label use of dedicated venous stents—engineered with enhanced mechanical features—as an alternative endovascular approach for the treatment of ASVT. Methods Thirty-eight patients (43 affected limbs) with symptomatic ASVT and no prior treatment or surgical decompression underwent endovascular placement of dedicated venous stents across the thoracic outlet with Abre Venous Stents (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland), Venovo Venous Stents (BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA), or Vici Venous Stents (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA). Stents were extended peripherally to the subclavian or axillary veins and centrally to the brachiocephalic vein or SVC. Technical success was defined as successful stent deployment across the costoclavicular space, and clinical success as symptomatic improvement. Results Stent placement was technically successful in all 43 limbs (100%), with clinical improvement observed in 97.4% of patients. The one patient without clinical improvement experienced early thrombosis of the stent, requiring mechanical thrombectomy and additional stenting. Follow-up CT venography at a mean of 301.3 days demonstrated high primary stent patency rates (81.4%), with stent crushing observed in only 7.0% of limbs and no instances of stent fracture. Adverse events were limited, including two access site hematomas and one hypotensive episode, all of which resolved without evidence of long-term complications. Conclusions Our findings suggest that stenting across the thoracic outlet for the treatment of ASVT may be a viable option with the use of novel dedicated venous stents, potentially expanding treatment strategies for TCVO.
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spelling doaj-art-8dfe743076094e2f8b4bbfa4664d8fcf2025-08-20T03:06:09ZengSpringerOpenCVIR Endovascular2520-89342025-08-01811510.1186/s42155-025-00577-4Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?Gabriel E. Li0Mayura P. Umapathy1David S. Shin2Matthew Abad-Santos3Eric J. Monroe4Jeffrey Forris Beecham Chick5Mina S. Makary6Section of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of WashingtonDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Southern CaliforniaSection of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of WashingtonDepartment of Radiology, University of WisconsinDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Southern CaliforniaDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterAbstract Background Endovascular stenting is widely accepted as the standard treatment for central venous obstruction syndromes such as superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome due to its demonstrated clinical efficacy and improved patient outcomes. However, its application in axillosubclavian vein thrombosis (ASVT) has been limited due to concerns about stent compression within the thoracic outlet. This report aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the off-label use of dedicated venous stents—engineered with enhanced mechanical features—as an alternative endovascular approach for the treatment of ASVT. Methods Thirty-eight patients (43 affected limbs) with symptomatic ASVT and no prior treatment or surgical decompression underwent endovascular placement of dedicated venous stents across the thoracic outlet with Abre Venous Stents (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland), Venovo Venous Stents (BD, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA), or Vici Venous Stents (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA). Stents were extended peripherally to the subclavian or axillary veins and centrally to the brachiocephalic vein or SVC. Technical success was defined as successful stent deployment across the costoclavicular space, and clinical success as symptomatic improvement. Results Stent placement was technically successful in all 43 limbs (100%), with clinical improvement observed in 97.4% of patients. The one patient without clinical improvement experienced early thrombosis of the stent, requiring mechanical thrombectomy and additional stenting. Follow-up CT venography at a mean of 301.3 days demonstrated high primary stent patency rates (81.4%), with stent crushing observed in only 7.0% of limbs and no instances of stent fracture. Adverse events were limited, including two access site hematomas and one hypotensive episode, all of which resolved without evidence of long-term complications. Conclusions Our findings suggest that stenting across the thoracic outlet for the treatment of ASVT may be a viable option with the use of novel dedicated venous stents, potentially expanding treatment strategies for TCVO.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42155-025-00577-4Axillosubclavian vein thrombosisEndovascular stentingDedicated venous stentsVenous obstructionThoracic outlet syndromeThoracic outlet
spellingShingle Gabriel E. Li
Mayura P. Umapathy
David S. Shin
Matthew Abad-Santos
Eric J. Monroe
Jeffrey Forris Beecham Chick
Mina S. Makary
Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
CVIR Endovascular
Axillosubclavian vein thrombosis
Endovascular stenting
Dedicated venous stents
Venous obstruction
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Thoracic outlet
title Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
title_full Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
title_fullStr Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
title_full_unstemmed Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
title_short Dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet: will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm?
title_sort dedicated venous stent placement across the thoracic outlet will novel venous stents transform axillosubclavian vein thrombosis treatment paradigm
topic Axillosubclavian vein thrombosis
Endovascular stenting
Dedicated venous stents
Venous obstruction
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Thoracic outlet
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s42155-025-00577-4
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