Incidence and Location of Deep-vein Thrombosis after Total Hip and Total Knee Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract

The incidence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) was evaluated prospectively in 46 patients receiving total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Incidence of total DVT was 54%, however; most occurred in the calf. Eighty-four percent of DVT occurred within 1 week after surgery. Incidence of DVT was 47% after THA and 71% after TKA, showing a significant difference by surgical site. There was a significant increase in postoperative D-Dimer among patients with DVT, and D-Dimer is considered a good exclusive marker for DVT.