Residual Vein Thrombosis Echogenicity Is Associated to the Risk of DVT Recurrence: A Cohort Study

Although deep vein thrombosis (DVT) recurrence is a common late complication of the disease, there are few predictive markers to risk-stratify patients long-term after the thrombotic event. The accuracy of residual vein thrombosis (RVT) in this context is controversial, possibly due to a lack of a standardized methodology. The objective of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of RVT echogenicity as a predictive marker of late DVT recurrence. To evaluate the accuracy of RVT echogenicity as a predictive marker of late DVT recurrence. This prospective study included patients with history of DVT in the past 33 months. Ultrasound examination was performed to detect the presence of RVT, and its echogenicity was determined by calculating the grayscale median (GSM) of the images. Blood samplings were taken for plasma D-dimer levels. Patients were followed-up for 28 months and the primary end point was DVT recurrence. Deep vein thrombosis recurrence was confirmed or excluded by ultrasound during the follow-up. Fifty-six patients were included, of which 10 presented DVT recurrence during the follow-up. D-dimer levels above 630 ng/mL conferred higher risk for recurrence with a negative predictive value of 94%. The absence of RVT was a protective marker for recurrence with a negative predictive value of 100%. Also, the presence of hypoechoic RVT, determined by GSM values below 24, positively predicted 75% of DVT recurrences. Our results suggest that the persistence of RVT and, particularly, the presence of hypoechoic thrombi (GSM < 24) are predictive markers of the risk of DVT recurrence. Residual vein thrombosis echogenicity, by GSM analysis, could represent a new strategy for the evaluation of recurrence risk in patients with DVT.