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Updated: Nov 19, 2025
A Multicenter MRI Protocol for the Evaluation and Quantification of Deep Vein Thrombosis
Published on: June 2, 2015
Temporal and anatomic relationship between superficial and deep vein thromboses in hospitalized children
Peter Doan1, Allaura Cox1, Emily Rao1
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States of America.
Insights
Superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) is linked to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in hospitalized children, showing a temporal and anatomical relationship. This association is particularly noted in pediatric patients with central venous catheters.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Thrombosis Research
- Vascular Medicine
- Hospital-Acquired Conditions
Background:
- Recent adult studies highlight a link between superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
- The relationship between SVT and DVT in pediatric populations remains less established.
- This study addresses the need for better understanding of SVT-DVT connections in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal and anatomical relationship between SVT and DVT in pediatric inpatients.
- To determine the extent to which SVT is associated with DVT in children.
- To inform treatment considerations for SVT in pediatric care.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of a hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE) registry.
- Identification of pediatric inpatients (0-21 years) with DVT between 2012-2017.
- Electronic health record review for SVT evidence and ICD code analysis to identify isolated SVT cases.
Main Results:
- Out of 59,910 admissions, 438 (0.7%) developed thrombosis.
- 80 patients (0.1%) had both SVT and DVT, representing 33% of DVT cases and 29% of SVT cases.
- In 12 SVT+DVT cases diagnosed sequentially, DVT occurred within 6.4 days of SVT, often at the same site.
Conclusions:
- A significant temporal and anatomical relationship exists between SVT and DVT in hospitalized children.
- The association is particularly evident in pediatric patients with central venous catheters.
- Findings suggest SVT may be an indicator for underlying DVT in pediatric settings.
Background:
Recent publications have increasingly demonstrated a link between superficial-vein thrombosis (SVT) and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the adult population and have led to changes in SVT treatment considerations. A similar relationship between SVT and DVT in pediatric populations, however, is not currently well established.
Objectives:
We sought to evaluate the temporal and anatomic relationship between SVT and DVT among pediatric inpatients in order to determine to what degree SVT is associated with DVT.
Methods:
We first retrospectively reviewed our institution's local prospective hospital-acquired VTE (HA-VTE) registry to identify all children (age 0-21 years, inclusive) admitted to Children's Hospital Colorado for more than 48 h between January 2012 and September 2017 who developed a DVT while hospitalized. We then reviewed each patient's electronic health record for evidence of SVT to identify SVT + DVT cases. Afterwards, we utilized a list of ICD codes to identify all patients during this time frame who developed an SVT and removed patients whom we previously identified as SVT + DVT cases to obtain the number of patients with isolated SVT.
Results:
Of 59,910 patients admitted during the study period, 438 (0.7%) developed a thrombosis while hospitalized - 197 (0.3%) with isolated SVT, 161 (0.3%) with isolated DVT, and 80 (0.1%) with both SVT + DVT. These 80 SVT + DVT patients represent 33% of the 241 total DVT patients and 29% of the 277 total SVT patients. Of the 12 SVT + DVT patients in whom the SVT was diagnosed before the DVT, the subsequent DVT occurred within a mean of 6.4 (range 1-22) days and at the same anatomic site in 6 (50%). The age breakdown for this cohort was: 0 (0%) 0-1 months, 2 (17%) 1 month-2 years, 3 (25%) 2-12 years, 3 (25%) 12-16 years, and 4 (33%) 16-21 years.
Conclusions:
Our results indicate a temporal and anatomic relationship between SVT and DVT in hospitalized children, particularly those with central venous catheters.
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