5 Encouraging Facts About May-Thurner Syndrome

Space is at a premium inside your body, and sometimes there simply isn’t room for all systems to work at peak efficiency. For instance, spinal stenosis is a narrowing of nerve passageways that can compress and irritate nerve tissue, causing pain and other symptoms. 

Your circulatory system can also suffer problems from constriction. May-Thurner syndrome, also called iliac vein compression syndrome, involves an artery and vein. This condition can raise your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially dangerous venous condition. 

Dr. Enrique Hernandez and his team at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida, specialize in vascular and venous conditions, so we can diagnose and treat your case of May-Thurner syndrome. Today, we look at this rarely diagnosed problem and offer some good news about your prognosis. 

The specifics of May-Thurner syndrome

May-Thurner syndrome results from an anatomical anomaly where the right iliac artery, which is near the base of your spine, compresses your left iliac vein. Blood flow through the vein is already working against gravity to return to the heart, so pressure from the artery further reduces flow through the vein. 

This restriction can damage valves inside the left iliac vein, hindering their ability to keep blood flowing toward the heart and lungs. In turn, the blood can pool below the point of artery contact and stretch the vein’s walls. 

The iliac vein is now varicose, but since it’s a deep vein, you won’t see it as a dark and twisted blood vessel through your skin. 

The risks of blood pooling

When blood pools in deep veins, there’s a greater risk of a blood clot forming. While the clot itself can further restrict blood flow through the iliac vein, the greatest danger occurs when a clot breaks away, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lung. 

This is called a pulmonary embolism, a condition that can be fatal without immediate medical attention. You may not be diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome until you develop DVT, since it’s often the only sign of the syndrome. 

5 encouraging facts about May-Thurner syndrome

As much as 20% of the American population may have May-Thurner syndrome, so it’s a fairly common condition, but one that’s not always symptomatic or troublesome.  Women have a slightly higher risk of the condition, and most new patients are between the ages of 20 and 50. 

There’s good news about May-Thurner syndrome, too. Consider these five encouraging facts: 

A random, mechanical problem

May-Thurner syndrome is not a genetic condition, so you can’t pass it on to your children or receive it from a parent. It’s a simple biomechanical issue with random distribution. 

May-Thurner shows up well in diagnostic imaging

Computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasounds, and venograms (contrast dye X-rays) can each reveal the presence of artery/vein interaction. 

Surgery can improve blood flow

Angioplasty, bypass surgery, relocation of the right iliac artery, and stenting are all surgical strategies that can restore normal blood flow to the left iliac vein. 

DVT is treatable

If you’ve developed DVT as a result of May-Thurner syndrome, treatment may reduce the risk of blood clots. Blood thinners and other medications can dissolve clots, and a surgical procedure places a filter upstream to catch clots before they reach your heart and lungs. 

Lifestyle changes reduce your risk

Adding aerobic exercise to your daily routine improves your circulation and reduces your risk of forming blood clots. Maintaining hydration levels is another circulatory booster. 

If you experience vein problems in only your left leg and note pain, skin discoloration, skin ulcers, swelling, or varicose veins, contact us at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins. Call or click to request an appointment at the nearest of our two Miami locations today.