Iliac vein stenting guided by intravascular ultrasound without iodinated contrast medium

Summary: Iliac vein compression syndrome, also known as May-Thurner Syndrome, is a type of vein reflux disorders which is often ignored due to lack of efficient diagnostic methods. The traditional gold standard of diagnosis is venography, but this has been challenged and largely replaced by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Here we report a case that a patient suffered with iodine anaphylaxis was successfully performed iliac vein stenting guided by using IVUS alone. This case provides the evidence that IVUS can offer necessary information for physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of iliac vein compression. We also find that balloon dilatation notch cannot precisely reflect the whole lesion, indicating it may be unreliable for diagnosis. Differ from the commonly accepted opinion, we find that comparing to IVUS, the notch of balloon dilatation cannot completely reflect the extent of lesion narrowness. Thus, we think the notch should not be used as a reference for seriousness of the lesion, and the diagnosis of stenosis cannot be ruled out even if there is no presence of notch.