Pelvic Congestive Syndrome
Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, which manifests as chronic pelvic pain in women, is caused by varicose veins in the pelvis, similar to varicose veins in the legs.
The veins in the pelvis that return blood to the heart have experienced a weakening of the valves within the veins and therefore allow blood to travel backwards and pool in the pelvic area. This caused the veins to bulge, just like leg varicose veins. The pelvic varicose veins can cause pain and can affect the uterus, ovaries, and vulva.
Interventional radiologists can use several image-guided technologies to diagnose PCS, including:
- Pelvic venography
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Pelvic Ultrasound
- Transvaginal ultrasound
Treatment of PCS includes embolization of the varicose veins using image-guided techniques to insert a catheter into the femoral vein in the groin area and then seal the enlarged vein with a tiny coil.