Prevalence of Asymptomatic Deep Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Primary Varicose Veins: Clinical Siginificance of Superficial Thrombophlebitis

Abstract

Prevalence of asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with primary varicose veins remains unclear. Here, we conducted a retrospective study to clarify incidence of asymptomatic DVT in patients with varicose veins, especially focusing on those with superficial thrombophlebitis (STP). Among 431 patients with primary varicose veins with saphenous vein incompetence, 20 (4.64%) had asymptomatic DVT. Presence of STP was a significant risk factor for asymptomatic DVT, since 10 out of 24 (41.7%) patients with STP had asymptomatic DVT, the all cases having calf muscle vein thrombosis. In contrast, the patients with primary varicose veins without STP had only 2.46% of asymptomatic DVT. In the patients with primary varicose veins with STP, significant risk factors for DVT were over C3 on CEAP classification.