Proximal coil occlusion preceding distal sclerotherapy in patients with pelvic congestion syndrome: A multicenter, retrospective study

We investigated the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of proximal coil occlusion preceding distal sclerotherapy (PCODS) for patients with pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS).

We performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 94 patients with PCS who had undergone PCODS and 53 patients who had undergone standard endovascular embolization (control group) between June 2014 and April 2020. The primary end point was the clinical remission rate and the secondary end points were the operative time, total fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, overall length of coils used per case, and adverse events. The patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

PCODS was successfully performed in 94 patients (100%). The clinical remission rates were significantly higher in the PCODS group than in the control group at 1, 6, and 12 months (P = .036, P = .032, and P = .032). The operative time and total fluoroscopy time were shorter for the PCODS group than for the control group (48.3 ± 5.2 minutes and 37.7 ± 4.4 minutes vs 53.9 ± 4.8 minutes and 42.6 ± 4.1 minutes, respectively; P < .001 for both). The radiation dose was significantly lower in the PCODS group than in the control group (362,634.69 ± 41,533.13 mGy·cm² vs 421,578.30 ± 49,517.93 mGy·cm²; P < .001). The overall length of coils used per case was 19.8 ± 6.0 cm in the PCODS group and 31.7 ± 8.5 cm in the control group (P < .001). Migration of n-butyl cyanoacrylate to the renal vein occurred in two patients in the control group.

We found PCODS was feasible with a higher clinical remission rate and mild adverse effects in patients with PCS.