title: Pulsatility Index of Popliteal Artery in Patients with Isolated Calf Vein Thrombosis: A Novel Technique for Detecting Thrombosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the usefulness of popliteal artery spectral doppler findings as a complimentary approach to isolated calf vein thrombosis (DVT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We included consecutive patients presenting with symptomatic and sonographically proven acute isolated calf DVT. Patients with thrombosis of any other vein were excluded. We classified calf vein into into four main types. We investigated how many of these four vessels had DVT and compared them with respect to the pulsatility index (PI) value of the popliteal artery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated spectral doppler characteristics of the popliteal artery on the same side as the isolated calf vein thrombosis as well as on the opposite side. The relationship between PI values of the popliteal artery and the number of thrombosed calf veins was investigated. In patients with 1 and/or 2 thrombosed veins, the mean PI was 6.03±0.54 on the side of cDVT and 5.68±0.39 on the opposite side (p=0.008), respectively. Inpatients with 3 and/or 4 thrombosed veins, the mean PI was 8.05±0.61 on the side of cDVT and 6.34±0.47 on the opposite side (p=0.001), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Venous doppler sonography for the evaluation of calf DVT may be limited by patient characteristics such as obesity, edema, and tenderness., Arterial PI can be used as a complimentary technique for the detection of venous thrombosis in such of cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdussamet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batur
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Vural
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozgokce
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alpaslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alpaslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Harun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yuzuncuyil University, Dursun Odabas Medical Center, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aydin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bora
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram School of Medicine, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Emin
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sakarya
keywords: Popliteal Artery; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; Venous Thrombosis