SIR 2026 | Landmark Trial Finds Stent Therapy Improves Quality of Life for Blood Clot Patients

A major NIH-sponsored clinical trial has found that minimally invasive stent therapy can significantly improve quality of life for patients suffering from post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), a chronic complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

The findings from the Chronic Venous Thrombosis: Relief with Adjunctive Catheter-Directed Therapy (C-TRACT) Trial were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The randomized, multicenter study enrolled 225 patients with moderate to severe PTS across 29 institutions. Researchers compared standard care—blood thinners and compression therapy—with an enhanced approach that also included stent placement to open blocked veins.

Patients who received stents experienced significantly greater improvement in disease severity and reported better quality of life at six months. At the start of the trial, 93% of participants had severe PTS. After six months, only 40% of patients in the stent group remained in the severe category, highlighting what researchers described as a “remarkable shift.”

“Many patients with PTS suffer in silence because few physicians are aware of this complication or know how to effectively treat it,” said principal investigator Suresh Vedantham, M.D., of Washington University School of Medicine. “This study suggests that even severe PTS is, in fact, a treatable condition in many patients.”

DVT affects roughly 600,000 Americans each year, and about 40% of those patients develop PTS, which can cause chronic pain, swelling, fatigue, and in severe cases, ulcers. The condition results from impaired blood flow due to vein damage, and stents work by restoring proper circulation.

“Standard treatments such as anticoagulation and compression are important but for many patients, such treatments are not enough,” Vedantham said. “C-TRACT shows that patients with moderate-to-severe PTS and large vein blockage could benefit greatly from endovascular stent treatment.”

Researchers say the findings could raise awareness of PTS and encourage more patients to seek evaluation from interventional radiologists.