Reporting standards in venous disease: An update

Abstract

At the request of the Ad Hoc Committee on Reporting Standards of the Joint Council of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, this report updates and modifies "Reporting standards in venous disease" (J Vasc Surg 1988;8:172-81). As in the initial document, reporting standards for publications dealing with (1) acute lower extremity venous thrombosis, (2) chronic lower extremity venous insufficiency, (3) upper extremity venous thrombosis, and (4) pulmonary embolism are presented. Numeric grading schemes for disease severity, risk factors, and outcome criteria present in the original document have been updated to reflect increased knowledge of venous disease and advances in diagnostic techniques. Certain recommendations of necessity remain arbitrary. These standards are offered as guidelines whose observance will in our opinion improve the clarity and precision of communications in the field of venous disorders.