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The role of anticoagulation in patients with superficial venous thrombosis is controversial, because their risk for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) has not been evaluated thoroughly. Researchers in France studied 844 patients who had been referred for diagnostic confirmation of superficial venous thrombosis and who had noncompressible hypoechoic areas >5 cm in length in lower-limb superficial veins (as identified by ultrasonography). Median time between first symptoms and consultation was 6 days. In 554 patients, the greater saphenous vein was involved; in 106 of these cases, thrombus extended to within 3 cm of the saphenofemoral junction.
One quarter of patients (210) had DVT or PE at study entry. Of the patients wit…