Color Doppler Ultrasound and Deep Venous Thrombosis

Abstract

Letters1 June 1993Color Doppler Ultrasound and Deep Venous ThrombosisRichard H. White, MDRichard H. White, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-118-11-199306010-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Davidson and colleagues [1] report that color Doppler ultrasound has poor diagnostic accuracy for proximal thrombi in high-risk asymptomatic patients receiving medical prophylaxis. The results of this study could affect clinical practice in several different situations. Although clinicians rarely order an ultrasound screening test in patients receiving heparin prophylaxis, they do screen patients at high risk for thrombosis who cannot be given prophylaxis [2] and patients with suspected pulmonary embolism who have an indeterminate lung scan. The low accuracy of ultrasound suggests that venography should be ordered in these situations. However, some reservations about the study methods ...