Antithrombotic Therapy for Inferior Vena Cava Stenting of Malignant Inferior Vena Cava Syndrome: A Questionnaire Study of Japan Interventional Radiology Study Group (JIVROSG)

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in antithrombotic therapy policies for inferior vena cava (IVC) stent placement among institutions and interventional radiologists in Japan. Materials and Methods The cross-sectional online-based questionnaire was conducted between December 2022 and January 2023, and a total of 114 institutions were included in this study. The questionnaire contained eight questions that were grouped into three sections: (1) whether IVC stents have been performed or not, (2) the number of IVC stent placements, and (3) the basic strategy of antithrombotic therapy for pre-, intra-, and post-IVC stent placement. Results Of the 114 institutions, 38 responses (33%) were collected. Twenty-four of the 38 institutions (63%) had performed IVC stent placement during the study period. The mean number of IVC stent placements during the study period was 3.4 cases per institution. The most frequently selected antithrombotic therapeutic strategies pre-, intra-, and post-stenting were no antithrombotic therapy (62.5%), anticoagulation therapy (54.2%), and no antithrombotic therapy (41.7%). Conclusion This study has revealed there is no consensus regarding antithrombotic therapy for IVC stent placement in Japan. The results of this study may contribute to our understanding of the status of antithrombotic therapy for IVC stent placement. Future prospective studies are warranted to clarify the periprocedural antithrombotic therapy for IVC stent placement.