What is venous thrombolysis?
Thrombolysis means to dissolve a blood clot. If your clot is large and your acute symptoms are severe, your doctor may refer you to an interventional radiologist for venous thrombolysis. Thrombolysis is an image-guided procedure performed in the hospital. During a thrombolysis, an interventional radiologist threads a thin hollow tube into the clotted vein behind the knee using ultrasound. Thrombolytic medication is then infused to dissolve the clot. After the procedure the catheter is removed and pressure is used to seal the tiny hole in the vein. The procedure is performed with the patient awake. The skin behind the knee is numbed with an anesthetic before the catheter is placed and IV medications are given to prevent anxiety. What are the benefits of thrombolysis? Thrombolysis can result in a rapid improvement in the acute pain and swelling associated with DVT. Long term, thrombolysis has been shown to prevent or reduce the painful and disfiguring complications of DVT including post-
