Surgical treatment of thrombotic occlusion of pelvic veins.

During a three-year period, 20 patients were operated on for acute thrombosis of the pelvic veins. Seventeen of them underwent a thrombectomy and the remaining three had a femorofemoral bypass after Palma. As regards long-term results in 18 patients, between one and four years postoperatively, phlebography in the thrombectomized group revealed ten open and five occluded vessels. Two patients died. In the group with bypass, two grafts were open. The relatively good results in spite of delayed intervention (in some cases eight or nine days after occlusion) suggest that even if performed after the generally accepted six day deadline, it is worthwhile to attempt an operation. The importance of an early diagnosis is stressed; among the many characteristic symptoms "heaviness" of the affected limb is an early complaint which aids diagnosis.