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Background
The minimally invasive procedures of venous ablation using endovenous techniques or the insertion of iliac vein stents are evolving options for venous insufficiency. Yet, there are no studies directly comparing the effectiveness of these procedures. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify, based on patient’s symptoms, if either procedure helped.
Method
Prospectively collected data between March 2012 and February 2014 in 196 patients who underwent both iliac vein stent placement as well as endovenous ablation were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was performed using in-person questionnaires by asking if improvement in lower extremity pain or swelling occurred and if so, which procedure helped more.
Results
Of the 196 patients that underwent endovenous closure and iliac vein stent placements, 70 of 196 (36%) patients were male. The average age of our patients was 67 (± 14.02 SD) years. There were a total of 327 limbs that underwent both procedures. Both interventions were completed on bilateral lower extremities in 131 of 196 patients, while the remaining 65 of 196 patients had only one limb that underwent both interventions. CEAP classification of lower extremity limb venous disease was 13%, 36%, 36%, 7%, and 8% for C2 - C6, respectively. Patient assessment of leg swelling was recorded after completion of both procedures.*p=1.0 if iliac vein stent was first procedure
**p=0.44 if endovenous ablation was first procedure
Furthermore, there was no significant difference in determining which procedure helped more in regards to age, gender, and CEAP score.
Conclusion
In this qualitative assessment, the preliminary data suggests the comparative role of iliac vein stent versus endovenous ablation warrants further study. Neither procedure was clearly superior. In addition, approximately 16% of our patients stated that neither procedure helped.

Which Procedure Helped?

Which Procedure Helped?	Overall (N=196)	*Iliac vein stent first procedure (N=119)	**Endovenous ablation first procedure (N=77)
Neither helped	16%	16%	16%
Iliac vein stent superior	19%	18%	21%
Endovenous ablation superior	17%	19%	14%
Both equally helped	47%	46%	49%