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Ultrasonography and impedance plethysmography are fairly accurate noninvasive ways to diagnose deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs. But, both tests miss calf-vein thromboses, repeat testing often is required when initial tests are negative, and ability to assess pelvic veins is limited. Using magnetic resonance direct thrombus imaging (MRDTI), British researchers studied 104 patients with suspected DVT. Three (of 5) patients with hip replacements were excluded because of nondiagnostic scans. Two reviewers interpreted each MRDTI; interobserver agreement was excellent.
In 53 consecutive patients with positive venography results, sensitivity of MRDTI for DVT was 94% to 96%, depending on the interpreter. In 48 subjects, selected randomly from…