Deep venous thrombosis

Alternative names:

clot in the legs; DVT; peripheral thrombosis

Symptoms:

• leg pain in one leg only
• leg tenderness in one leg only
• swelling (edema) of only one leg
• increased warmth of one leg
• changes in skin color of one leg, redness
• skin discoloration, bluish
• joint pain

Signs and tests:

An examination may reveal a red, swollen, tender area of the leg. The Homans sign is positive--there is sharp pain when the foot is flexed upward (dorsiflexion).

The presence of deep venous thrombosis may be seen on:

• venography of the legs
• extremity arteriography
• blood flow studies
• Doppler ultrasound exam of an extremity
• plethysmography of the legs

Increased coagulability (clotting tendency) may be indicated by:

• antithrombin III, protein C, protein S
• DIC screening
• lupus anticoagulant