title: Early re-presentations and the potential role of catheter-directed thrombolysis in patients diagnosed with a lower limb deep vein thrombosis: a single-centre experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) for iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) restores venous patency, reduces the risk of the post-thrombotic syndrome and may reduce longer term treatment costs. This study assessed the potential role of CDT in patients with DVT with regard to representation following the index event.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of all patients with a positive lower limb DVT scan. Potential suitability of each patient to undergo CDT was based on well-recognized inclusion/exclusion criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 1689 patients underwent a DVT-specific lower limb venous duplex. A total of 269 were found to have a DVT. Fifty-three of these patients met the inclusion criteria for CDT (only 2 underwent CDT). Fifty-nine of the 269 patients with an index DVT re-presented to our institution with a venous thromboembolism-related clinical event. These patients were significantly younger than those who did not reattend. A higher proportion of patients who represented were deemed suitable for CDT for the index DVT compared with those who did not represent (17/59 versus 36/210; P = 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pragmatic study highlights the fact that significant number of patients return to secondary care with actual/perceived complications following initial diagnosis and treatment of a DVT which may have been amenable to CDT.
authors.affiliation: Leeds Vascular Institute, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Berridge
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Coughlin
authors.forename: D J A
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D008297:Male; D061185:Mechanical Thrombolysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D054070:Postthrombotic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: catheter-directed thrombolysis; deep vein thrombosis