SULODEXIDE VERSUS CALCIUM HEPARIN IN THE MEDIUM-TERM TREATMENT OF DEEP-VEIN THROMBOSIS OF THE LOWER-LIMBS

Thirty adult patients with distal, monolateral deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs were randomly treated for sixty days either with subc utaneous Ca-Heparin or with Sulodexide, administered IM for ten days a nd orally for fifty days. The thrombus accretion above the knee, the v enous pressures of the affected leg, the clinical symptomatology, and some laboratory coagulative tests were monitored throughout the admini stration period. Local tolerability of the two treatments was also eva luated. The two applied treatments evidenced a net antithrombotic acti vity, preventing thrombus accretion above the knee, improving with the same efficacy the venous pressures in the affected legs, and similarl y reducing clinical symptoms, with a quick and statistically significa nt trend toward normalization. Blood fibrinogen was significantly lowe red by both drugs, while only Ca-heparin yielded a prolongation of act ivated partial thromboplastin time. Local tolerability of treatments w as better for the mainly oral Sulodexide administrations, while subcut aneous Ca-heparin often induced small, though transient, hematomas.