A study published by BMJ (British Medical Journal) reports that a single ultrasound scan, i.e. compression ultrasonography, could safely rule out a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in pregnant women, or in those within the first few weeks after giving birth (post-partum period).
An accurate diagnosis of DVT remains challenging for doctors, particularly as the risk of DVT elevates during pregnancy, and because otherwise safe and reliable tests in non-pregnant patients are not always appropriate to use during pregnancy.
Leading researcher, professor Grégoire Le Gal, from the University of Brest in France, and his team decided to evaluate the safety of a single complete compression ultrasonography in pregnant and post-partum women with suspected DVT by recruiting 210 pregnant and post-partum women who were referred for suspected DVT from medical practices in France and Switzerland.
The researchers performed a single compression ultrasound scan on each patient and administered an anti-clotting treatment to those whose results were positive.
Overall, 22 women (10.5%) were diagnosed with DVT. Of the 177 without DVT, 2 of them (1.1%) received no anti-clotting treatment and developed DVT during the 3 month follow-up period.
Although limitations of the study prevent firm conclusions, the researchers nevertheless believe that a single complete compression ultrasonography “might be safe for ruling out deep vein thrombosis in pregnant and post-partum women,” and add that in order to confirm their findings, further studies need to be conducted.
Written By Petra Rattue