DIL VENA-CAVA FILTER - EARLY EXPERIENCE W ITH 15 PATIENTS

DIL filters were permanently inserted through the cubital vein, using a 7-F catheter, in 15 patients and were followed up for six months in 12 patients. One filter could not be opened and 4 others were only par tly open. Clinically there were no recurrences of pulmonary emboli. Th ere were no complications from the correctly placed filters. Amongst t he 4 incompletely expanded filters, two caused perforation of the cava , in one the cava thrombosed and in another the filter migrated to the bifurcation of the pulmonary artery. It follows that unexpanded filte rs should not be placed in the cava. Measurements in 10 patients showe d the cava reduced to less than 10 mm lumen. In two cases the reductio n of lumen was only slight, measuring more than 15 mm. The effect of t he reduction in the lumen remains to be compared with that achieved by other filters.