Ultrasonography to Guide Duration of Anticoagulation in DVT
Authors: Stephan Imfeld
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters1 December 2009Ultrasonography to Guide Duration of Anticoagulation in DVTStephan Imfeld, MD, PhD, Daniel Staub, MD, Heiko Uthoff, MD, Thomas Baldi, MD, Markus Aschwanden, MD, and Kurt A. Jaeger, MDStephan Imfeld, MD, PhDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, Daniel Staub, MDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, Heiko Uthoff, MDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, Thomas Baldi, MDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, Markus Aschwanden, MDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, and Kurt A. Jaeger, MDFrom University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-151-11-200912010-00025 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Prandoni and colleagues (1) compared a fixed duration of anticoagulation with a flexible duration in patients with proximal DVT. Fixed-duration anticoagulation was defined according to guidelines as 3 months for secondary DVT and 6 months for unprovoked DVT, whereas flexible-duration anticoagulation was prolonged until complete recanalization occurred for up to 12 months for secondary DVT and 24 months for unprovoked DVT. The topic is interesting, especially because current guidelines (2) recommend reevaluation of patients with DVT after 3 months of anticoagulation but give no clear recommendations about how reevaluation should be performed.Although the study was a ...References1. Prandoni P, Prins MH, Lensing AW, Ghirarduzzi A, Ageno W, Imberti D, et al; AESOPUS Investigators. Residual thrombosis on ultrasonography to guide the duration of anticoagulation in patients with deep venous thrombosis: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:577-85. [PMID: 19414836] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Kearon C, Kahn SR, Agnelli G, Goldhaber S, Raskob GE, Comerota AJ; American College of Chest Physicians. Antithrombotic therapy for venous thromboembolic disease: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition). Chest. 2008;133:454S-545S. [PMID: 18574272] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Kearon C, Gent M, Hirsh J, Weitz J, Kovacs MJ, Anderson DR, et al. A comparison of three months of anticoagulation with extended anticoagulation for a first episode of idiopathic venous thromboembolism. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:901-7. [PMID: 10089183] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Douketis JD, Gu CS, Schulman S, Ghirarduzzi A, Pengo V, Prandoni P. The risk for fatal pulmonary embolism after discontinuing anticoagulant therapy for venous thromboembolism. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:766-74. [PMID: 18056660] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Risk for Fatal Pulmonary Embolism after Discontinuing Anticoagulant Therapy for Venous Thromboembolism James D. Douketis , Chu Shu Gu , Sam Schulman , Angelo Ghirarduzzi , Vittorio Pengo , and Paolo Prandoni Residual Thrombosis on Ultrasonography to Guide the Duration of Anticoagulation in Patients With Deep Venous Thrombosis Paolo Prandoni , Martin H. Prins , Anthonie W.A. Lensing , Angelo Ghirarduzzi , Walter Ageno , Davide Imberti , Gianluigi Scannapieco , Giovanni B. Ambrosio , Raffaele Pesavento , Stefano Cuppini , Roberto Quintavalla , Giancarlo Agnelli , and Ultrasonography to Guide Duration of Anticoagulation in DVT Paolo Prandoni , Anthonie W.A. Lensing , and Martin H. Prins Ultrasonography to Guide Duration of Anticoagulation in DVT Jongoh Kim Metrics 1 December 2009Volume 151, Issue 11Page: 826KeywordsConflicts of interestTest statisticsUltrasound imaging ePublished: 1 December 2009 Issue Published: 1 December 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...