The significance of calf thrombi after total knee arthroplasty. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • We reviewed the records of 1257 patients having 1625 total knee arthroplasties; all had pre-operative and postoperative perfusion lung scans and postoperative venograms which were classified as showing no thrombi, calf thrombi or proximal thrombi. Patients with calf thrombi were found to have a significantly greater risk for both symptomatic and asymptomatic pulmonary embolism compared with patients with no venographic thrombi. There were positive lung scans in 6.9% of patients with calf thrombi compared with 2.0% of patients with negative venograms (p < 0.001). Symptomatic pulmonary embolism occurred in 1.6% of patients with calf thrombi compared with 0.2% of patients with negative venograms (p = 0.034). The risk of pulmonary embolism was not significantly different between patients with treated proximal thrombi, and those with calf thrombi. Patients who develop deep-vein thrombosis despite prophylaxis are at increased risk for pulmonary embolism; these patients should receive treatment, or undergo follow-up studies to detect proximal propagation.

publication date

  • November 1, 1992

Research

keywords

  • Knee Prosthesis
  • Leg
  • Phlebography
  • Thrombosis

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0026459651

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1302/0301-620X.74B6.1447236

PubMed ID

  • 1447236

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 74

issue

  • 6