Use of the term “superficial femoral vein” in ultrasound

Abstract

To determine the frequency of use of the term "superficial femoral vein" (SFV) in the radiologic reports from a sample of sonographic investigations for suspected deep vein thrombosis and to assess the potential for clinical error in their interpretation. Retrospective review of 425 consecutive reports from medical patients attending the Imaging Department over a 6-month period for the presence of the term "superficial femoral vein" and for the presence of thrombus. A questionnaire was sent to a sample of referring clinicians to assess their understanding of the anatomy of the deep venous system of the leg and indications for anticoagulant treatment. Of the 425 sonographic investigations reviewed, 90 (21.2%) used the term "superficial femoral vein," and 12 (13.3%) were positive for SFV thrombus. Among 87 clinicians, 74.7% believed the SFV to be part of the superficial venous system and that its thrombosis did not require anticoagulant treatment, although anticoagulation is now indicated in selected cases of superficial venous thrombosis. Seventy-five percent of clinicians do not recognize the SFV as being part of the deep venous system and that its thrombosis requires anticoagulant treatment. In this study, 13% of SFV examined were positive for thrombus, and four patients (4.4%) had an isolated SFV thrombus that could have been left untreated due to this misunderstanding. Use of the term "superficial femoral vein" is prone to misinterpretation by clinicians and potentially hazardous to patients. It should be replaced by "common femoral vein" and "femoral vein" in reports.