title: Clinical experience with retrievable Günther Tulip vena cava filters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report clinical experience with retrievable Günther Tulip filters from implantation to retrieval and their status in nonretrieved situations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five Günther Tulip filter implantations were performed in 71 patients (43 women; mean age 55 years). Indications for filter placement were pulmonary embolism (PE) or iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with a contraindication to anticoagulation (43, 61%) or perioperative PE prophylaxis (28, 39%) in patients with confirmed iliofemoral DVT. Retrieval procedures were planned for each patient. Patients with nonretrieved filters were followed with plain radiography and duplex sonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Technical success of filter insertion was 97.3% (73/75). Eighteen (25%) patients died from unrelated causes prior to retrieval attempts, and 6 other patients were too critically ill for a retrieval procedure. Of 49 (67%) planned retrieval attempts, 14 (19%) filters could not be removed owing to large trapped thrombi. The mean implantation period for the 35 (48%) retrieved filters was 8.2 days (range 1-13). Delivery tilt was observed in 12 (16%) filters and during retrieval attempts in 1 more case. For 9 nonretrieved filters, tilt and migration were observed in 22% at a mean follow-up of 30 months, but no venous thrombosis was assessed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm the clinical efficacy of the Günther Tulip filter during implantation and the feasibility of its retrieval. Further long-term follow-up should be conducted on nonretrieved filters to confirm our results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. swicky@partners.org
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wicky
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doenz
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Meuwly
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portier
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schnyder
authors.forename: Alban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Denys
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020878:Device Removal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D016306:Vena Cava Filters