Deep venous thrombosis after total hip or total knee arthroplasty in patients in Japan

A single center, prospective, epidemiologic study was conducted to estimate the incidence of deep venous thrombosis detected by venography in patients in Japan undergoing total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty with out prophylactic anticoagulant therapy, Venograms of 164 patients who had t otal hip arthroplasty and 138 patients who had total knee arthroplasty were evaluated. The incidences of deep venous thrombosis were 22.6% in patients who had total hip arthroplasty and 48.6% in those who had total knee arthr oplasty. The incidences of proximal deep venous thrombosis were 9.8% in pat ients who had total hip arthroplasty and 14.5% in those who had total knee arthroplasty, Statistical analysis revealed that the type of operation infl uenced the development of deep venous thrombosis. Patients who had total kn ee arthroplasty were 3.2 times more likely to have deep venous thrombosis d evelop than were patients who had total hip arthroplasty. Body mass index a nd age were identified as statistically significant risk factors.