Six-month exercise training program to treat post-thrombotic syndrome: a randomized controlled two-centre trial

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a chronic complication following deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
• Exercise training is being explored as a potential intervention to manage PTS symptoms.
• A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess feasibility and gather preliminary effectiveness data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a multicenter trial for exercise training in treating PTS.
• To obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of a six-month exercise program for PTS.
• To assess key feasibility indicators including eligibility, consent, adherence, and retention.

Main Methods:

• A two-center, randomized controlled pilot trial comparing a six-month supervised exercise program to a control group receiving education and phone follow-ups.
• Feasibility assessed by eligibility rates, consent, adherence, and retention.
• Primary outcomes included changes in venous disease-specific quality of life (VEINES-QOL) and PTS severity (Villalta scale).

Main Results:

• Exercise training was associated with significant improvements in venous disease-specific quality of life (VEINES-QOL scores).
• A trend towards improvement was observed in PTS severity scores (Villalta scale) in the exercise group, though not statistically significant (p=0.14).
• Most secondary outcomes, including generic quality of life and physical measures, showed greater improvement in the exercise group.

Conclusions:

• Exercise training may offer benefits for patients suffering from post-thrombotic syndrome.
• The findings support the feasibility of conducting a large-scale, multicenter trial to definitively evaluate exercise training for PTS treatment.