Three-Year Results from the Venovo Venous Stent Study for the Treatment of Iliac and Femoral Vein Obstruction

Purpose: To assess safety and patency of the Venovo venous stent for the treatment of iliofemoral vein obstruction.

Materials and methods: Twenty-two international centers enrolled 170 patients in the VERNACULAR study (93 post-thrombotic syndrome; 77 non-thrombotic iliac vein lesions). Primary outcome measures were major adverse events at 30 days and 12-month primary patency (freedom from target vessel revascularization, thrombotic occlusion, or stenosis > 50%). Secondary outcomes included the Venous Clinical Severity Score Pain Assessment and Chronic Venous Quality-of-Life Questionnaire assessments (hypothesis tested). Secondary observations included primary patency, target vessel and lesion revascularization (TVR/TLR), and assessment of stent integrity through 36 months.

Results: Freedom from major adverse events through 30 days was 93.5%, statistically higher than a pre-specified performance goal of 89% (p = 0.032) while primary patency at 12 months was 88.6%, also statistically higher than a performance goal of 74% (p < 0.0001). Mean quality-of-life measures were statistically improved compared to baseline values at 12 months (p < 0.0001). Primary patency at 36 months was 84% (Kaplan-Meier analysis) while freedom from TVR/TLR was 88.1%. There was no stent embolization/migration, and no core laboratory assessed stent fractures reported through 36 months. Six deaths were reported; none adjudicated as device or procedure related.

Conclusion: The Venovo venous stent was successfully deployed in obstructive iliofemoral vein lesions and met the pre-specified primary outcome measures through 12 months. At 3 years, primary patency was 84%, reintervention rates were low, standardized quality-of-life and pain measures improved from baseline, and there was no stent migration or fractures.

Level of evidence: Level 2-prospective, multicenter, controlled clinical study without a concurrent control or randomization. Pre-specified endpoints were hypothesis-tested to performance goals derived from peer-reviewed clinical literature. REGISTRATION CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: Unique Identifier NCT02655887.