Management of Patients when Superficial Venous Disease Arises from Pelvic Escape Points

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a common condition in women that carries with it significant morbidity. It is commonly seen in patients presenting to obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinic visits. CPP is a presenting symptom of various pathologies including pelvic varicocele, pelvic adhesions, spastic colon syndrome, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and psychosomatic disorders. Pelvic congestion syndrome has more recently been termed “pelvic venous insufficiency (PVI)” due to the underlying retrograde flow through incompetent ovarian and pelvic veins that are thought to cause the symptoms of CPP. Pelvic varices can commonly present alongside vulvar, perineal, and lower extremity varices. There are some predictable “escape pathways” for these varices that may present for interventional treatment. This article introduces the reader to current terminology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with pelvic varices due to PVI.

Clinical Presentation, Patient Assessment, Anatomy, Pathophysiology, and Imaging of Pelvic Venous Disease

Pelvic venous disorders (PeVDs) can result in several different clinical presentations, but can be challenging to distinguish from other etiologies of chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Clinical evaluation of CPP patients optimally should be performed in a multidisciplinary fashion and patients who may have PeVD should be referred for consultation with a vascular interventionalist whose evaluation would utilize an imaging workup to search for pelvic varices. Additionally, it is critical to quantify the quality-of-life effects of all CPP to determine the impact on the patient's overall health. Diagnostic imaging, including transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and venography, can be utilized to identify pelvic varices, as well as venous reflux and obstruction leading to CPP. The use of the SVP tool is important to classify PeVD patients based on their clinical symptoms, varicose veins, and pathophysiology for precise clinical communication and for reporting clinical research. The goal of this publication is to delineate the clinical presentation, anatomy, pathophysiology, and imaging evaluation of patients with CPP suspected of having PeVD.

Endovascular treatment of anterior nutcracker syndrome and pelvic varices in a patient with an anterior and a posterior renal vein

There are few data on endovascular treatment of anterior nutcracker syndrome and pelvic varices in patients with anterior and posterior renal veins. Our objective is to report a case, identify occurrences and compare diagnosis and treatments. A 42-year-old woman presented with flank and pelvic pain and hematuria. She had anterior nutcracker syndrome and pelvic varices with an anterior and a posterior renal vein. A successful complete endovascular approach was done with stent implantation in the anterior renal vein and left gonadal vein embolisation. After 12-month follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic with good results on CT. Only two case reports of patients with nutcracker syndrome with anterior and posterior renal veins were identified. In both, a self-expanding stent was implanted in the anterior renal vein. In conclusion, endovascular treatment represents a safe and successful option in patients with nutcracker syndrome and pelvic varices with an anterior and a posterior renal vein.

Successful embolisation of pelvic fistulating vessels to the prostate arising after TURP – a rare cause of postoperative bleeding

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is considered the gold-standard operation to treat lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic enlargement in men. Postoperative bleeding is a recognised complication and managing it is a core skill required by attending urologists. We report a rare case of postoperative bleeding caused by fistulating vessels to the prostate which developed after TURP. These fistulas arose from the right internal iliac vessels and communicated with pre-existing pelvic varices affecting the right paraprostaticand seminal vesicle tissues. The fistulating vessels were successfully embolised with liquid embolic agent. Surgeons should be aware that persisting haemorrhage can occur post-TURP from the rare presence of fistulating vessels communicating with pelvic varices. Early computed tomography angiographic assessment is warranted in cases where bleeding is prolonged and refractory to standard management in view of timely referral for percutaneous embolisation.

Aortomegaly Causing Nutcracker Syndrome and Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

The authors present an uncommon cause of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) secondary to anterior nutcracker syndrome, which was caused by aortomegaly. Positional flank and pelvic pain was the only presenting feature with no renal dysfunction. Early and significant decompression of left renal vein (LRV) via left ovarian vein resulted in preserved renal function with symptomatic pelvic varices. Endovascular management by left ovarian vein coiling and LRV stenting was done. They briefly review the etiopathology, imaging, treatment rationale, and management options for nutcracker and PCS.