ObjectiveTo compare the effect of catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) combined with anticoagulation (AC) and AC in the treatment of acute proximal deep venous thrombosis (APDVT) of the lower extremities. MethodsThe clinical data of 184 APDVT patients treated in Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. According to the treatment methods, the patients were divided into CDT group (n=82, CDT combined with AC) and AC group (n=102, AC alone). The prognosis indicators such as the incidence of bleeding events, the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), Villalta score, venous clinical severity score (VCSS) and chronic lower limb venous insufficiency questionnaire (CIVIQ) score were compared between the two groups. ResultsCompared with the AC group, the CDT group had a higher incidence of bleeding events [11.0% (9/82) vs. 2.9% (3/102)], a shorter time to detumescent [(2.8±1.2) d vs. (7.2±1.9) d], and lower VS score [3 (2,4) vs. 3 (2, 7)], VCSS score [2.0 (1.7, 4.0) vs. 3.0 (2.0, 5.2)] and postoperative venous patency score [1 (1, 2) vs. 2 (1, 3)], and higher CIVIQ score [80.0 (77.0, 86.0) vs. 71.5 (68.0, 78.0)], P<0.05. However, there were no significant differences in the incidence of PTS [28.2% (22/78) vs. 36.5% (35/96)] and thrombosis recurrence rate [9.0% (7/78) vs. 11.5% (11/96)] between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionCDT can relieve the symptoms and improve the quality of life of APDVT faster than AC, but it is necessary to strictly grasp the indications of thrombolysis to reduce the risk of bleeding.