The HCM City University Medical Centre has combined surgicalthrombectomy and venous stenting to treat deep vein thrombosis, a bloodclot in one of the deep veins in the body.

It was the first operation of its kind to be performed at a Vietnamese hospital.

DrLe Thanh Phong, head of the hospital's vascular surgery unit, said thatdeep vein thrombosis had been previously treated by anti-coagulationmedication.

However, according to some clinical studies, withthis method of anticoagulation, only a part of the clot is destroyed.Thus the remainder of the clot in the vein can still obstruct blood fromthe extremities back to the heart, leading to painful and swollen legsand ulceration. Thus, a patients' quality of life is reduced.

InJune 7, a 48-year-old patient from the Mekong Delta province of TienGiang was brought to the hospital for emergency aid for a painful andswollen left leg.

Based on the results of ultrasound and a CTscan, doctors diagnosed a blockage in a deep vein of the left leg,leading to high risk of necrosis (flesh death) if not treated in atimely fashion.

They performed an emergency surgical thrombectomy to remove a clot from a blood vessel and inserted a stent into a narrow vein.

This reduced the danger of the clot recurring. The patient recovered and she was discharged from the hospital.

Phong said that deep vein thrombosis in the legs could lead to pulmonary embolism and death.

Hesaid that patients, if not treated immediately, could have postthrombotic syndrome and non-healing ulcerations which could reduce thequality of their life.

Dr Tran Minh Bao Luan, lecturer invascular and thoracic surgery at the HCM City University of Medicine andPharmacy, said if deep vein thrombosis was discovered within two weeks,it could be removed with an endovascular intervention, a minimallyinvasive procedure, or surgery, or a combination of the two.

Thereare many causes of deep vein thrombosis, including a family history ofthe disease or cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiationtherapy.-VNA