<scp>d</scp>-Dimer and Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: Fabio Puglisi, Edda Federico
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters21 September 2004d-Dimer and Venous ThromboembolismFabio Puglisi, MD, PhD and Edda Federico, MDFabio Puglisi, MD, PhDFrom University of Udine, 1-33100 Udine, Italy.Search for more papers by this author and Edda Federico, MDFrom University of Udine, 1-33100 Udine, Italy.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-141-6-200409210-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In the Discussion section of Stein and colleagues' article (1), the authors pointed out that the clinical utility of d-dimer assays may vary among patients with different diseases. In particular, a higher value can be expected when the probability of having DVT or pulmonary embolism is lower, such as in outpatient setting. We agree but believe that another important point should be emphasized.Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are common complications in patients with cancer, and in these patients a d-dimer test is probably of limited diagnostic usefulness. In fact, malignant conditions are often associated with ...References1. Stein PD, Hull RD, Patel KC, Olson RE, Ghali WA, Brant R, et al . d-Dimer for the exclusion of acute venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:589-602. [PMID: 15096330] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Rocha E, Paramo JA, Fernandez FJ, Cuesta B, Hernandez M, Paloma MJ, et al . Clotting activation and impairment of fibrinolysis in malignancy. Thromb Res. 1989;54:699-707. [PMID: 2506659] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lee AY, Julian JA, Levine MN, Weitz JI, Kearon C, Wells PS, et al . Clinical utility of a rapid whole-blood d-Dimer assay in patients with cancer who present with suspected acute deep venous thrombosis. Ann Intern Med. 1999;131:417-23. [PMID: 10498557] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Schutgens RE, Esseboom EU, Haas FJ, Nieuwenhuis HK, Biesma DH. Usefulness of a semiquantitative D-dimer test for the exclusion of deep venous thrombosis in outpatients. Am J Med. 2002;112:617-21. [PMID: 12034410] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Gomes MP, Deitcher SR. Diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease in cancer patients. Oncology (Huntingt). 2003;17:126-35, 139; discussion 139-44. [PMID: 12599936] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Udine, 1-33100 Udine, Italy. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoClinical Utility of a Rapid Whole-Blood d-Dimer Assay in Patients with Cancer Who Present with Suspected Acute Deep Venous Thrombosis Agnes Y.Y. Lee , Jim A. Julian , Mark N. Levine , Jeffrey I. Weitz , Clive Kearon , Philip S. Wells , and Jeffrey S. Ginsberg d-Dimer for the Exclusion of Acute Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism Paul D. Stein , Russell D. Hull , Kalpesh C. Patel , Ronald E. Olson , William A. Ghali , Rollin Brant , Rita K. Biel , Vinay Bharadia , and Neeraj K. Kalra d-Dimer and Venous Thromboembolism Russell D. Hull , William A. Ghali , Rollin F. Brant , and Paul D. Stein d-Dimer and Venous Thromboembolism Stephen J. Wolf d-Dimer and Venous Thromboembolism Grégoire Le Gal , Marc Righini , and Henri Bounameaux d-Dimer and Venous Thromboembolism John T. Philbrick , Steven Heim , and Joel M. Schectman Metrics 21 September 2004Volume 141, Issue 6Page: 482-483KeywordsD-dimerDeep vein thrombosisLung and intrathoracic tumorsNegative predictive valueOutpatientsPatientsPulmonary embolismSpecificitySystematic reviewsVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 21 September 2004 Issue Published: 21 September 2004 CopyrightCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...