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A Multicenter MRI Protocol for the Evaluation and Quantification of Deep Vein Thrombosis
10:26

A Multicenter MRI Protocol for the Evaluation and Quantification of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Published on: June 2, 2015

Venous thromboembolic disease: comparison of the diagnostic process in men and women

Paul D Stein1, Russell D Hull, Kalpesh C Patel

  • 1Department of Research, St Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan, USA. steinp@trinity-health.org

Archives of Internal Medicine
|July 30, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This study found no evidence of sex bias in the diagnosis or treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Diagnostic test utilization and hospitalization durations were similar for men and women.

Area of Science:

  • Medical research
  • Clinical diagnostics
  • Public health

Background:

  • Concerns exist regarding potential sex disparities in diagnostic test access for women.
  • It remains undetermined if these disparities affect patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis (DVT).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate potential sex-based differences in diagnostic test application for PE and DVT.
  • To examine sex disparities in diagnosis, medical facility utilization, and treatment duration for PE and DVT.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cross-sectional data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (1979-1999).
  • Analyzed inpatient records from noninstitutional hospitals across the United States.
  • Employed International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to identify PE, DVT, and diagnostic procedures.

Main Results:

  • Age-adjusted diagnosis rates for PE and DVT were comparable between sexes.
  • Utilization rates for ventilation-perfusion lung scans, venous ultrasonography, and contrast venography were not lower in women.
  • Hospitalization durations for PE or DVT showed no significant difference between men and women.

Conclusions:

  • National Hospital Discharge Survey data do not support a sex bias in PE or DVT diagnosis.
  • Evidence does not indicate sex disparities in the use of diagnostic tests for PE or DVT.
  • Hospitalization durations for PE and DVT are comparable across sexes, refuting claims of bias.
Abstract

Keywords:
Empirical ApproachHealth Care and Public Health

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