More objective diagnoses of venous thromboembolism?
The clinical diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis is non-specific, i.e. suffers from a large number of false-positive diagnoses. Therefore, the use of objective tests is emphasized. We have investigated retrospectively the increase, if any, in the use of objective tests over a three year period in the Leiden area (1986-1989). We found that the percentage of patients on whom objective tests were used was more than doubled, from 21% to 55%; this increase was accompanied by a 29% decrease in the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease. These opposing trends are to be expected if more objective tests are used.
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
T
T
Koster
F R
FR
Rosendaal
F J
FJ
van der Meer
E
E
Briët
J P
JP
Vandenbroucke
D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000175:diagnosis
D000925:Anticoagulants