Surgical and pharmaceutical treatment of superficial vein thrombosis of the lower limbs: what has changed over the last 5 years?

Introduction: Superficial vein thrombosis of the lower limbs is a common condition encountered by a wide spectrum of clinical specialties. In contrast to deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs though, there is significant variability in terms of its treatment with respect to the type and duration of pharmacotherapy, as well as regarding the potential role of operative management.

Methods: Systematic review of the literature in a best evidence topic manner, including only prospective and randomized controlled studies on the treatment of lower limb SVT, focusing on the emerged data over the last 5 years.

Results: A total of 17 prospective observational and randomized clinical studies met our set criteria. Despite the major differences in study designs, outcomes and intervention types, upfront pharmaceutical treatment with fondaparinux or intermediate dose of low molecular weight heparins, combined with regular clinical and radiological follow-up, seem to be effective and safe as first-line approaches. Upfront surgical treatment of lower limb SVT can also be safely performed in selected cases in the presence of clinical expertise.

Conclusions: Our review revealed the presence of considerable variability in the therapeutic options of the lower limb superficial venous thrombosis, highlighting the need for further randomized controlled trials in the field in order to establish and standardize its optimal treatment.