The use of compression ultrasonography with Doppler imaging of the iliac vein can be used to rule out deep vein thrombosis in symptomatic pregnant women, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, MedPage Today reports.
Of the 205 women studied using a combination of serial compression ultrasound and Doppler imaging, just one had a venous thromboembolic event, a pulmonary embolism, in follow-up. With a sensitivity of 94.1 percent and a negative predictive value of 99.5 percent, according to Wee-Shian Chan, M.D., of B.C. Women's Hospital & Health Center in Vancouver, "it is likely safe to withhold anticoagulation in women with negative imaging results." Article