Deep vein thrombosis treatment
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) means you have blood clots in your legs that cause pain and swelling. DVT can be life-threatening if a clot travels to the lungs. There, it becomes a pulmonary embolism that leads to trouble breathing.
Blood-thinning medications may be all the treatment you need for DVT. But if your doctor recommends a procedure, you’ll benefit from the expertise of an interventional radiologist at Montage Health.
DVT procedures
Interventional radiologists are doctors who use imaging guidance to treat DVT in a less invasive way than surgery. Interventional procedures don’t require large incisions, so you recover sooner and with less pain. Ask your interventional radiologist about the best procedure for your situation.
Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement
Your interventional radiologist may place a DVT filter in the inferior vena cava, your body’s largest vein. The filter traps blood clots and stops them from traveling to your lungs.
Thrombolysis and thrombectomy
During thrombolysis, an interventional radiologist uses a thin tube called a catheter to deliver clot-dissolving drugs to your blood vessels. Thrombectomy uses a catheter to remove a clot from your body.
Balloon venoplasty and stenting
To perform venoplasty, an interventional radiologist inflates a tiny balloon in a narrowed leg vein to widen it and restore blood flow. The doctor may also place a tiny stent (tube) in the blood vessel to keep it open.
Preparing for DVT therapy
After our interventional radiology team receives your doctor’s referral, we’ll schedule a clinic visit. You’ll learn what to expect from treatment and get answers to your questions.
Don’t eat or drink anything the evening before treatment.
Day of treatment
After you come to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, you’ll:
- Change into a hospital gown
- Take lab tests
- Receive an intravenous (IV) line for fluids and medications
- Meet your doctor to discuss the procedure
- Go to the procedure suite, where we’ll attach sensors to monitor your vital signs and give you conscious sedation (medicine to relax you and prevent pain)
An interventional radiologist will then:
- Place a catheter in your wrist or upper thigh
- Guide the catheter to your vein to perform the procedure
- Remove the catheter from your body
We’ll monitor you for several hours as you recover. You may go home the same day.
After treatment
You may feel mild pain where the doctor put in the catheter. With over-the-counter medications, the pain should improve in a few days.
Follow-up care
Take your medicine as prescribed so your DVT symptoms don’t return. We’ll call you or make a follow-up appointment to make sure you’re doing well after treatment and determine the next steps.
