[A new technic of venous thrombectomy of the lower limbs]

A personal venous thrombectomy technique employing a modified Fogarty catheter is described. The end of the catheter to which the syringe is normally applied is cut off to enable it to be used in a retrograde manner. In this way, thrombectomy is always performed in the direction of the current, irresapective of the site of the thrombosis in the venous axis of the lower limbs. This type of operation offers two advantages. It preserves the integrity of the valves and does away with the risk of intraoperative embolisms. It is described as "physiological thrombectomy". If the thrombosis involves the entire iliac-femoro-popliteal axis, the catheter is inserted retrogradely via the small saphenous at the, and removed via an iliac phlebotomy obtained by means of an extraperitoneal abdominal incision. When the thrombosis is femoropopliteal only, the catheter is inserted through the origin of the small sphenous and withdrawn via the venous incision. Lastly, in cases where the common iliacofemoral axis alone is involved, retrograde insertion takes place through the large saphenous vein in the inguinal region. Preliminary results obtained with the technique are described.