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Dedicated to improving the treatment of venous disease

Volume 8, Number 05

www.venousdigest.com

May 2001

Copyright 1995 John J. Bergan, MD, Inc.

1 of 7

Venous Digest, 2329 Barley Drive, Vista, CA 92083 USA (760) 599-9725

UPPER EXTREMITY VEIN

THROMBOSIS: ETIOLOGIC

CATEGORIES, PRECIPITATING

CAUSES, AND MANAGEMENT

Sakakibara Y, Shigeta O, Ishikawa S, et. al

Angiology 1999; 50:547-53

ABSTRACT AND COMMENTARY BY:

Landon S. Pryor, MD

Nicos Labropoulos, MD

Dept of Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center

Maywood, Illinois

The objective of this study was to identify the natural his-

tory and the clinical and laboratory parameters that influence

the various outcomes of upper extremity thrombosis. Patients

diagnosed with a symptomatic venography-proven upper

extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from 1983 to 1997

were retrospectively searched for through records at the

authors? hospital. Twelve patients (7 men, 5 women), 61

(mean) years of age, and followed up for 41 (mean) months

were found suitable for analysis of etiologic categories, preci-

pitating causes, treatment, and outcomes.

As etiologic factors, five patients had neoplastic disease,

one had hemodialysis, and two had transvenous pacemaker

implantation. Of the various precipitating causes of upper

extremity DVT such as hypoproteinemia, renal function,

thyroid function and infection (bacteremia), hypoproteinemia

was most frequently reported (67%). Therapeutic management

included anticoagulation with heparin followed by thrombo-

lysis with urokinase (6), balloon angioplasty (2), throm-

bectomy (2), and venous bypass surgery (1). Based on clinical

symptoms and pulmonary perfusion scanning, it was con-

cluded that no pulmonary embolism occurred in any of these

patients, and only three had mild, intermittent arm swelling

during the followup period. Four patients died of neoplastic

disease or heart failure (3 within the first six months and 1

after one year). It was concluded that mortality following an

episode of upper extremity DVT depended on underlying

medical problems. There were low incidences of late post-

thrombotic complications; thus these patients could be

managed conservatively with therapy that also addressed their

precipitating causes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Upper Extremity Vein Thrombosis, Etiologic Categories,

Precipitating Causes, and Management

Sakakibara Y, Shigeta O, Ishikawa S, et al.

Abstracted by: Nicos Labropoulos, Landon Pryor, USA

Claviculectomy for Subclavian Venous Repair: Long-Term

Functional Results

Green RM, Waldman D, Puriel K, et al.

Abstracted by: C. Vaughan Ruckley, Scotland

Subclavian Vein Thrombosis

Martin M.

Abstracted by: Richard Sanders, USA

Surgical Intervention is Not Required for all Patients With

Subclavian Vein Thrombosis

Lee WA, Hill BB, Harris Jr. EJ, et. al.

Abstracted by: Mehmet Kurtoglu, Turkey

Changes in Calf Muscle Function in Chronic Venous Disease

Yang D, Vandogen YK, Stacey MC

Abstracted by: John Scurr, United Kingdom

Ambulatory Venous Pressure Revisited

Neglen P, Raju S.

Abstracted by: Nicos Labropoulos, USA

Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Venous Leg Ulceration

Valencia IC, Falabella A, Kirsner RS, Eaglstein WH

Abstracted by: Mitchell P. Goldman, USA

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