Venous function in the leg after postoperative thrombosis diagnosed with 125I-fibrinogen uptake test

The 125I-fibrinogen uptake test (FUT) has been widely used in the past decade to detect postoperative thrombosis. FUT has been shown to correlate well with phlebography, and positive FUT is associated with a high frequency of pulmonary embolism. The long-term venous function of the leg after FUT-detected postoperative thrombosis, however, is inadequately documented. In 179 patients who had been studied after operation with FUT, a follow-up evaluation of FUT as an indicator of risk for development of deep venous insufficiency was made four to five years later. The patients replied to a questionnaire, were clinically examined, and underwent venous strain-gauge plethysmography, venous pressure measurement, and, in some cases, phlebography. No statistically significant differences were found in any of the parameters between legs that had been FUT-positive and those that were FUT-negative at the time of the operation. The frequency of deep venous insufficiency thus was equal in FUT-positive and FUT-negative legs. It was also independent of the site of FUT-detected thrombus in the leg.