DEEP-VEIN THROMBOSIS - A 7-YEAR FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Objectives. To study the sequelae of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in t erms of symptoms and objective signs of deep venous insufficiency (DVI ) and their relationship to the initial extension of DVT, and to asses s the control legs in the same way. Design. Follow-up study after an a verage of 89 (range 79-102) months. Setting. Out-patient clinic, Unive rsity Hospital, Oslo. Subjects. Seventy-six patients with DVT 7 years previously. At follow-up 41 patients were dead and 10 were not availab le for restudy, thus twenty-five patients were studied in all. Main ou tcome measures. Symptom rating. Objective verification of DVI by invas ive pressure recordings (DVI-I) and by the Doppler ultrasound techniqu e (DVI-D). Results. At follow-up, 42% of the patients had symptoms, ha lf of these severe, while 68% had DVI. Eighty-two per cent of symptoma tic patients and 60% of the asymptomatic patients had DVI. There were no more symptoms in proximal than in distal DVT, but slightly more DVI . Control legs had neither symptoms nor DVI. Conclusions. Seven years after DVT few patients had severe symptoms, although objective signs o f DVI were common. Symptoms were no more frequent after proximal than after distal DVT. We found no symptoms or DVI in control legs.