MicroRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Deep Vein Thrombosis

Background/Objectives: In patients with suspected acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT), new blood biomarkers with high specificity for DVT could potentially lower the proportion of patients requiring imaging. The plasma microRNAs (miRs) miR-134-5p, miR-103a-3p and miR-210-3p have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers of venous thromboembolism, but their diagnostic accuracy for acute DVT has not been investigated. We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of miR-134-5p, miR-103a-3p and miR-210-3p for DVT in patients with suspected first-lifetime acute lower-extremity DVT. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study consecutively included outpatients with suspected first-lifetime acute lower-extremity DVT. Plasma levels of miRs were measured using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. DVT status was determined by whole-leg duplex compression ultrasonography. Diagnostic test performance was assessed by the area under the curves (AUCs) from receiver operating characteristic curves with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The diagnostic accuracy of D-dimer was also assessed for comparison. Results: Among the 360 patients included in this study, 28% had a first-lifetime acute lower-extremity DVT. The AUCs for miR-134-5p, miR-103a-3p, and miR-210-3p ranged from 0.53 to 0.57, with 95% CIs overlapping 0.50. D-dimer had a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 41% using the cut-off value of 0.5 µg/mL. Conclusion: Plasma miR-134-5p, miR-103a-3p and miR-210-3p showed poor diagnostic test performance for DVT. Our findings suggest that these miRs would not be helpful in discriminating between patients in whom DVT can be safely excluded and those who require imaging.