Knowns and Unknowns in Managing Postthrombotic Syndrome

The postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a frequent cause of long-term disability in patients with lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. A broad variety of interventions have been applied to patients with established PTS, including lifestyle, medical, compressive, endovascular, and open surgical therapies. However, the volume of evidence to support many individual elements of care is sparse, and important questions remain that must be answered to enable judicious individualization of PTS care. The purpose of this article is to describe what is known about PTS care elements and to identify important evidence gaps that merit future studies.