Pelvic venous congestion syndrome is also known as ovarian vein refluxcaused by dilatation of the ovarian and/or pelvic veins.
This can cause the following symptoms:
Pelvic pain or aching around the pelvis and lower abdomen
Dragging sensation or pain in the pelvis
Feeling of fullness in the legs
Worsening of stress incontinence
Worsening in the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome
The usual treatment is percutaneous transcatheter pelvic vein embolisation.
Other treatment options are open or laparoscopic surgery to tie the culprit veins. Both these procedures are more invasive than ovarian vein embolisation and require a general anaesthetic and a longer recovery period.
Pelvic vein embolisation is a minimally invasive procedure performed by a specially trained interventional radiologist in the interventional radiology suite.
Using x-ray image guidance and contrast material to see the blood vessels, the catheter is then directed into abnormal ovarian and/or pelvic vein.
Abnormal vein is sealed and blocked using synthetic material or medication called embolic agents.