Funding came from the NIH/NHLBI, and the work honors the late Clive Kearon for his contributions to study design and funding.

Lead author Vedantham emphasized that this is the first large randomized trial to show post-thrombotic syndrome is a treatable condition with meaningful relief for many patients.

A multicenter randomized trial (C-TRACT) enrolled 225 patients with moderate-to-severe post-thrombotic syndrome and iliac vein obstruction, comparing endovascular therapy plus standard care to standard care alone, with six-month follow-up showing superior symptom relief and daily functioning in the intervention group.

At six months, 40% of patients in the stent group remained severely affected versus a majority in the control group, indicating a substantial reduction in severe post-thrombotic syndrome with stenting.

The trial found that venous stenting significantly reduces the severity of PTS and improves quality of life, marking the first large randomized evidence of its effectiveness.

Senior author Sameer Parpia highlighted the study’s potential to guide clinicians in offering effective treatment options for patients with long-standing venous blockages after DVT.

Leading investigators include Suresh Vedantham and Sameer Parpia, with NIH/NHLBI funding, and results were presented at the 2026 SIR Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The trial was co-led by Washington University School of Medicine and McMaster University, with McMaster's TRACE clinical trial unit coordinating efforts.

Findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 2026 SIR Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto.

Interventional radiologists conducted the stent placements, demonstrating a feasible procedural option within existing care pathways for eligible patients.

Safety considerations include a higher rate of bleeding in the stenting group due to intensified anticoagulation, though most events were non-major and occurred more than 90 days after the procedure.

Experts stressed that targeted endovascular therapy, when carefully performed with evidence-based medical management, can meaningfully reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning for people with long-term venous blockages after DVT.