[Percutaneously implanted permanent vena cava filter: follow-up of 117 consecutive patients]

Retrospective review of indication, insertion technique and problems, complications and effectiveness of 5 different filter designs implanted during a period of 5 years. MATERIALS, PATIENTS AND METHODS: We inserted one Filcard-filter, 4 Antheor DC 3 perm.-filters, 17 Trigon/Cardial-filters, 28 Titan-Greenfield-filters (modified hook) and 65 LGM 30 D/U Vena Tech-filters via a femoral (n = 111) or a jugular (n = 4) approach in 115 of 117 patients. Indication was acute deep thrombosis of the iliac or femoral vein with and without pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with contraindication to, or unsuccessful, anticoagulation therapy or lysis. Follow-up was possible in 92 patients.

In two of 117 patients the filter could not be implanted due to dissection of the left iliac vein. In the other 115 patients we achieved an orthograde position of the filter in 78%, 22% of the filters tilted more than 15 zero and 25% had been opened incompletely. We noticed late filter dislocation in 4 cases, deep vein thrombosis of the access vein in two cases, one haematoma of the insertion site, three asymptomatic perforations of filter struts through the caval wall, 14 filter induced thromboses of the vena cava (15.2%) and 13 recurrent PE (14.1%), fatal in 5 cases (5.4%).

The implantation of vena caval filters as a prophylaxis of PE is easy and of low risk. Because of the relatively high rate of recurrent PE (14.1%) in our series after implantation, the effectiveness must be judged critically.