Compression Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Deep Venous Thrombosis of the Lower Limb and for the Prevention of Post-Thrombotic Syndrome—a Review Based on a Structured Literature Search.

BACKGROUND

After an acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limb, 20% to 65% of patients develop post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). In this review, we address the efficacy of compression therapy in the treatment of acute DVT of the lower limb, and for the prevention of PTS.

METHODS

12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one meta-analysis, with a total of 3759 patients, were identified in a structured literature search.

RESULTS

Two RCTs showed that adding compression therapy to drug treatment in the first 9 days of the acute phase of lower limb DVT led to more rapid pain relief (p<0.050) and less swelling (1 cm versus 3 cm, p<0.050). As for the prevention of PTS, four RCTs showed a short-term benefit or no benefit of compression therapy. In three further RCTs, medical compression stockings (MCS) brought about a 16% to 27% absolute reduction of the frequency and severity of PTS (47% vs. 20 %, p<0.001; 40% vs. 21% (95% confidence intervals [29.9; 50.1] and [12.7; 29.5], respectively; and 58% vs. 42%, relative risk [RR] 0.73 [0,55; 0.96]). The benefit of MCS was also confirmed in a recent meta-analysis (RR 0.66 [0.44; 0.99], I2 = 88%). Thigh-length MCS were not superior to knee-length MCS for the prevention of PTS (33% vs. 36%, hazard ratio [HR] 0.93 [0.62; 1.41]). Individual, symptom-oriented tailoring of the duration of treatment was not inferior to a fixed treatment duration of 24 months (29% vs. 28%; odds ratio [OR] 1.06 [0.78;1.44]).

CONCLUSION

Compression therapy relieves symptoms in acute DVT and lessens the frequency and severity of PTS. It is therefore recommended as standard treatment.