TY - JOUR T1 - MAnagement of clinically suspected acute venous thrombosis in outpatients with serial impedance plethysmography in a community hospital setting AU - Huisman MV, Büller HR, ten Cate JW, Heijermans HF, van der Laan J, van Maanen DJ Y1 - 1989/03/01 N1 - 10.1001/archinte.1989.00390030017004 JO - Archives of Internal Medicine SP - 511 EP - 513 VL - 149 IS - 3 N2 - • The reported high sensitivity and specificity of impedance plethysmography (IPG) in the diagnosis of proximal vein thrombosis were evaluated in a prospective cohort follow-up study, in which IPG was performed three times over a period of seven days in 243 consecutive outpatients with clinically suspected deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The test was abnormal in 112 patients (46%). The positive predictive value of an abnormal IPG for venography-proved DVT was 90%. One hundred thirty-one patients (54%) with repeatedly normal tests were considered not to have DVT, and anticoagulants were withheld. During six months of follow-up, completed in all patients with repeatedly normal IPG, no patient died of venous thromboembolism and no patient returned with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism. One patient (0.8%) returned after two months with recurrent leg symptoms, and venous thrombosis was documented (95% confidence limits, 0.02% to 4.21%). Another patient, who was nonsymptomatic, had an abnormal IPG at the three-month follow-up visit, and venography revealed venous thrombosis. Patients sent by general practitioners to a community hospital, with clinically suspected acute DVT, can be effectively managed by serial IPG alone.(Arch Intern Med 1989;149:511-513) SN - 0003-9926 M3 - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1989.00390030017004 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1989.00390030017004 ER -