Pelvic congestion syndrome: historical aspects and a modern view on the problem (a literature review)

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a relatively recent, but actual and separate nosological form. Pelvic varicocele is a form of varicose disease, which is increasingly regarded as the main cause of chronic pelvic pain in women with various clinical manifestations. A woman with chronic pelvic pain is a difficult patient with combative behavior, who contacts with physicians in various specialties. There are many causes of chronic pelvic pain, but pelvic congestion syndrome has a special place. In recent years, in addition to widespread use of diagnostic radiology, the relevance of this pathology is beyond any doubt. The aim of the study was to summarize and present literature data on the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of pelvic congestion syndrome by analyzing the literature data. Materials and methods. A non-systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Google and Google Scholar databases. The review included free full-text articles published between 1974 and 2021 using key words: pelvic congestion syndrome, pelvic varices, pelvic venous disorders, pelvic varicocele, pelvic venous stasis, chronic pelvic pain, gonadal veins, ovarian veins, vena ovarica, Nutcracker syndrome, May-Thurner syndrome. Conclusions. Pelvic congestion syndrome is still a rarely diagnosed pathology in patients with chronic pelvic pain. Detailed medical history, physical examination as well as maintaining diagnostic algorithm would allow the disease to be diagnosed correctly and timely. The choice of method for surgical intervention is a key point in the treatment of patients with pelvic congestion syndrome, but today there are no criteria for the choice of one, so the problem is far from being resolved and requires further study and research.