Challenges in Treating Extensive Deep Vein Thrombosis with Severe Thrombocytopenia in Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome-A Follow-up of 2 Years.

Thrombocytopenia is one of the most common manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). There is little evidence or definitive guidelines regarding the treatment of APS with thrombocytopenia. We describe a patient with APS and moderate-to-severe thrombocytopenia and the challenges of balancing anticoagulation with thrombocytopenia. A 19-year-old male patient presented with right lower limb swelling to the emergency department with a history of gradually worsening right leg swelling for 1 week and was diagnosed with right leg proximal deep vein thrombosis. Ultrasound Doppler of the right lower limb revealed complete venous thrombosis from the level of the popliteal vein to the distal superficial femoral vein. Subsequently, he was found to have triple-positive APS and moderate-to-severe immune thrombocytopenia, with a platelet count nadir of 31 × 10 to the ninth power/L. He was started on anticoagulation with warfarin. The severe thrombocytopenia was not treated with immunosuppressants and the platelets fluctuated in the range of moderate-to-severe thrombocytopenia but did not develop any rethrombotic or bleeding events. His platelets varied from 31 × 10 to the ninth power/L to 106 × 10 to the ninth power/L. This case report demonstrates that it may be safe to hold off treatment for thrombocytopenia in APS, even in cases of severe thrombocytopenia. Treatment with immunosuppressants may be instituted only when platelet levels fall below 20 × 10 to the ninth power/L or when there is clinically significant bleeding, as in primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Clinical activities that contributed to the effectiveness of a cardiologist-pharmacist collaborative care model in managing diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate the change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and its association to clinical activities. The secondary objective was to elucidate moderators of the relationship between pharmacist-involved collaborative care (PCC) and change in HbA1c. METHODS: This study was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary hospital over 12 months. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes, aged ≥21 years with established cardiovascular diseases were included while individuals with incomplete care documentation or missing data related to cardiovascular diseases were excluded. Individuals under the care of PCC were matched 1:1 based on baseline HbA1c with an eligible person who received care from the cardiologists (CC). Changes in mean HbA1c were analysed using linear mixed model. Linear regression was used to determine clinical activities that associated with improvement in HbA1c. Moderation analyses were conducted using the MacArthur framework. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 420 participants (PCC:210, CC:210) were analysed. The mean age of the participants was 65.6 ± 11.1 years, with the majority being male and Chinese. The mean HbA1c among participants in the PCC group decreased significantly after 6 months (PCC: -0.4% versus CC: -0.1%, P = 0.016), with maintenance of improvement at 12 months (PCC: -0.4% versus CC: -0.2%, P < 0.001). Frequencies of lifestyle counselling, reinforcement of visits to healthcare providers, health education, resolution of drug-related problems, emphasis on medication adherence, dose adjustments and advice on self-care techniques were significantly higher in the intervention group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Improvements in HbA1c were associated with the provision of health education and medication adjustments.

Successful Treatment of Recurrent Thrombosis Associated with Malignancy with Apixaban and Follow-up for 1 Year.

This case report aims to highlight a successful example of using novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), such as apixaban, to prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with solid-organ malignancy, as an alternative to low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Discussed is the case of a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with recurrent thrombosis in the upper-right limb and malignancy of right breast with metastasis to the axillary lymph nodes. Over a follow-up period of more than 1 year, there was no recurrence of VTE and D-dimer decreased, illuminating the possibility of apixaban as an alternative form of treatment for recurrent VTE in patients with malignancy. This appears to be one of the first case reports in Singapore.

Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis in May-Thurner's Syndrome with a Novel Oral Anticoagulant: A Case Report.

May-Thurner's syndrome (MTS) is an anatomical variant where the left common iliac vein (CIV) is compressed by the overlying right common iliac artery and the underlying lumbar vertebrae, leading to stenosis in the left CIV. Endovascular intervention followed by anticoagulation currently constitute the mainstay of management of MTS associated with recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Warfarin appears to be the anticoagulant of choice in most studies conducted in patients with MTS. There is little evidence of treatment using nonvitamin K oral anticoagulants. This case report serves to describe a patient with MTS who was successfully treated with catheter-directed therapy followed by anticoagulation using rivaroxaban. A 64-year-old women presented with left lower limb swelling. Her duplex ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) showed extensive DVT and underlying narrowing of the left CIV, respectively. She underwent catheter-directed therapy, involving stent placement in the left CIV, and was subsequently started on rivaroxaban. She developed partial thrombosis of the external iliac vein at 5 months postprocedure and partial stent thrombosis at 1 year postprocedure while on rivaroxaban, requiring repeat stenting and continuation of anticoagulation. On follow-up, there was no recurrence of symptoms related to MTS, no postthrombotic syndrome, and no clinically significant bleeding as a side effect of rivaroxaban. This case report shows that rivaroxaban is a safe agent that can be successfully used in the treatment of MTS after stenting.

Exploring the Outcomes of Portal Vein Thrombosis in the Clinical Setting of Cirrhosis, Malignancy, and Intra-abdominal Infections with and without Anticoagulation: A Retrospective 5-Year Study.

The aim of this study was to understand the differences in clinical outcomes in portal vein thrombosis (PVT) patients with cirrhosis, malignancy, and abdominal infections, with or without anticoagulation. This study was approved by ethics committee. Data were collected from 2011 to 2016. Patients were classified into three groups: PVT with cirrhosis, malignancy, and infections. Primary outcomes measures collected were clot resolution, bleeding, recurrence, and death. Frequency, means, and percentages were calculated. In total, 30 patients were analyzed in this study. Mean age was 60.8 years (range of 30-91 years). There were 19 (63.3%) males and 11 (36.7%) females with ethnicity: 21 (70.0%) Chinese, 2 (6.7%) Malay, 2 (6.7%) Indian, and 5 (16.7%) other race. Fifteen patients received anticoagulation and 15 did not receive anticoagulation. Of the 15 patients who received anticoagulation, there was complete resolution of thrombus in 5 (33.3%), partial resolution in 1 (6.7%), and no resolution in 9 (60.0%). Of these 15 patients, there was bleeding in 3 (20.0%), there was no recurrence in 9 (60.0%), and 3 (20.0%) died during the period of follow-up. Of the 15 patients who did not receive anticoagulation, there was complete resolution of thrombus in 2 (13.3%), partial resolution in 0 (0.0%), and no resolution in 13 (86.7%). Of these 15 patients, there was bleeding in 0 (0%), there was recurrence in 2 (13.3%), and 6 (40.0%) died during the period of follow-up. Anticoagulation is effective in PVT. It reduces mortality with lower rate of recurrence. However, it is associated with increased risk of bleeding.

Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Hypertension.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has updated the clinical practice guidelines on hypertension to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based treatment for hypertension. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH clinical practice guidelines on hypertension, for the information of SMJ readers. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/healthprofessionalsportal/doctors/guidelines/cpg_medical.html. The recommendations should be used with reference to the full text of the guidelines. Following this article are multiple choice questions based on the full text of the guidelines.

Preliminary Investigations Showing Venous Thromboembolism Recurrence in Patients with Residual Venous Obstruction in Singaporean Population.

This study aims to determine the association of residual venous obstruction (RVO) with recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). A retrospective cohort study was conducted determining if RVO on ultrasonography is associated with recurrent VTE in a Singaporean population. The subjects were identified from the Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory patients' record of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore between 2008 and 2013. All the patients included had RVO after 3 months of anticoagulation. Data such as age, gender, race, thrombus location, etiology, history of malignancy, thrombophilia screen, treatment duration, and follow-up were recorded for analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata/SE 13.1 (StataCorp LLC). The study was approved by the National Healthcare Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB), Singapore. Out of the 34 patients who had RVO, 6 (17.6%) developed VTE recurrence. Patients were treated with anticoagulation for a mean time of 24.5 months. The mean follow-up time for VTE recurrence was 25.4 months. Out of the six patients who had VTE recurrence, one had common iliac vein involvement, four had superficial femoral vein and common femoral vein involvement, zero had popliteal vein involvement, and one had calf veins involvement. There was a significant association between thrombophilia ( p = 0.0195) and malignancy ( p = 0.020) at inclusion with the risk of recurrent VTE. The presence of RVO after 3 months of anticoagulation is likely to increase the risk of VTE recurrence. Larger studies with RVO are needed to evaluate if there is an increased risk of VTE recurrence in the Asian population.

Postural Changes in Measures of Arterial Stiffness in Hypertensive Subjects on Antihypertensive Drug Therapy: A Prospective, Pilot Study.

Prospective study with a controlled arm to know if there are variations of measures of arterial stiffness with posture in subjects with hypertension on antihypertensive medications. We studied postural variations of measures of arterial stiffness in 21 subjects with diagnosed hypertension on antihypertensive medications and compared them with 21 normotensive subjects. All subjects underwent pulse-wave analysis on SphygmoCor in the morning between 8 am to 10 am initially in supine and then in sitting position after 3 minutes. Summary measures on demographics, and blood pressure characteristics at sitting and supine positions are obtained. Differences between characteristics at supine and sitting position are compared using nonparametric paired test of Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A value of p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Antihypertensive medications decreased the supine aortic augmentation pressure (AAP) and augmentation index (AI) but not significantly. When subgroups of patients with antihypertensive treatment were analyzed, it was noted that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker group (12) decreased AAP and AI significantly in supine position compared with patients on other antihypertensive medications (9) (p-value 0.034 and 0.038, respectively). There was no significant difference in other groups of calcium channel blockers, ß-blockers, or diuretics. However, in normotensive control arm, there was an increase in AAP and AI in the supine position. In hypertensive subjects, on antihypertensive, there was reduction in AAP and AI in supine position compared with those of normotensives. The significance of the decrease in AAP and AI in supine position on antihypertensive needs to be studied further.

Thrombus Resolution in Two Patients with Portal Vein Thrombosis without Anticoagulation: Do We Need to Anticoagulate Patients with Portal Vein Thrombosis?

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a thrombosis that develops in the trunk of the portal vein which can extend to its branches. It results from a combination of local and systemic prothrombotic factors. Anticoagulation is generally considered in PVT patients as long as the risk of bleeding is low. Limited data have been published regarding spontaneous resolution of PVT. We describe two cases of asymptomatic PVT who were not given anticoagulation in view of several factors, who, on repeat scans, showed resolution of their thrombus.

Late onset radioiodine-induced hypothyroidism presenting with psychosis 14 years after treatment: a rare case.

Radioiodine treatment-induced hypothyroid psychosis is uncommon. Our literature search shows only three cases of hypothyroid psychosis developed within 3 months after the radioiodine treatment. Our case represents the first case of radioiodine-induced hypothyroidism presenting as psychosis much later (14 years) after the radioiodine treatment. A 60-year-old Chinese lady, with long-standing primary hypothyroidism due to the radioiodine treatment performed 14 years ago, presented with a 1-week history of hallucination, delusion and agitation. She was not on thyroid replacement. Thyroid function test done 14 years ago and again upon her admission to our facility was consistent with primary hypothyroidism. General blood tests and brain imaging were unremarkable. Her psychotic features resolved within 1 week with thyroid replacement and 9 days of antipsychotics. No further relapse of psychosis was noted. This emphasizes that radioiodine-induced hypothyroidism can go unnoticed for many years and present much later solely as psychosis.

Effect of angiotensin receptor blockade on central aortic systolic blood pressure in hypertensive Asians measured using radial tonometry: an open prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Central aortic systolic pressure (CASP) has been shown to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular events than brachial blood pressure (BP). Different classes of drugs have differential effects on CASP and brachial BP. This open prospective cohort study aimed to observe changes in CASP (measured using radial tonometry) among hypertensive Asians after 12 weeks of treatment with valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). METHODS: Patients with treatment-naïve hypertension or uncontrolled hypertension who were on non-ARB therapy were eligible for inclusion. Patients with uncontrolled BP (i.e. ≥ 140/90 mmHg) received valsartan for 12 weeks. The patients' brachial systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), and CASP changes were monitored using the BPro® watch. RESULTS: The mean age of the 44 enrolled patients was 35 years. At baseline, the mean BP and CASP were 150.2/91.4 ± 10.6/9.4 mmHg and 136.3 ± 12.2 mmHg, respectively. Valsartan reduced SBP, DBP and CASP by 14.9 ± 10.7 mmHg, 10.9 ± 8.4 mmHg and 15.3 ± 10.9 mmHg, respectively (all p < 0.001). Every 1.0-mmHg reduction in brachial SBP resulted in a 0.8-mmHg reduction in CASP (p < 0.001). A CASP cut-off of 122.5 mmHg discriminated between controlled and uncontrolled BP (sensitivity 74%, specificity 88%). CONCLUSION: Using radial tonometry, we demonstrated good correlation between CASP and brachial SBP reductions after 12 weeks of treatment with valsartan in our study cohort. Correlation analysis between CASP and SBP reductions may be useful for demonstrating whether a drug is able to lower CASP beyond lowering SBP.

Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients Infected with HIV: A Cohort Study.

Introduction Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients are at risk of developing thrombosis than general population. There are several intersecting mechanisms associated with HIV infection and antiviral therapy that are emerging, which may lead to vasculopathy and hypercoagulability in these patients. Methods We analyzed the HIV patients who followed up with our Vascular Medicine outpatient clinic with venous thromboembolism (VTE) over the past 3 years and followed them prospectively. The patients included were those who had minimum, regular follow-up of 3 months, with a Doppler scan in the beginning and last follow-up. Patients were analyzed for age, gender, race, site of thrombosis, coagulation factors, lipid panel, type of antiretroviral treatment, past or present history of infections or malignancy, CD4 absolute and helper cell counts at the beginning of thrombosis, response to treatment and outcome. Patients with HIV with arterial thrombosis were excluded. Results A total of eight patients were analyzed. The mean age was 49.87 years (range, 38-58 years). All were male patients with six patients having lower limb thrombosis, one patient with upper limb thrombosis related to peripheral inserted central catheter (PICC), and one patient had pulmonary embolism with no deep vein thrombosis. Most common venous thrombosis was popliteal vein thrombosis, followed by common femoral, superficial femoral and external iliac thrombosis. Two patients had deficiency of protein S, two had high homocysteine levels, one had deficiency of antithrombin 3, and one had increase in anticardiolipin Immunoglobulin antibody. All patients were taking nucleoside and nonnucleoside inhibitors but only two patients were taking protease inhibitors. There was history of lymphoma in one and nonsmall cell lung carcinoma in one patient. Three patients had past history of tuberculosis and one of these patients also had pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. The mean absolute CD4 counts were 383.25 cells/UL (range, 103-908 cells/UL) and helper CD4 counts were 22.5 cells/UL (range, 12-45 cells/UL). All were anticoagulated with warfarin or enoxaparin. There was complete resolution of deep vein thrombosis in two patients (one with PICC line thrombosis in 3 months and other with popliteal vein thrombosis in 1 year). There was extension of clot in one patient and no resolution in others. Seven patients are still alive and on regular follow-up. Conclusion Thrombosis in HIV patients is seen more commonly in middle aged, community ambulant male patients. Left lower limb involvement with involvement of popliteal vein is most common. Deficiency of protein S and hyperhomocystenaemia were noted in these patients. Most of these patients did not respond to therapeutic anticoagulation, but the extension of the thrombosis was prevented in majority of cases.

A Case Series of HIV-Seropositive Patients and Hypercoagulable State-Is It Difficult to Treat Even with Therapeutic Anticoagulation?

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at risk of developing thrombosis and are 8 to 10 times more likely to develop thrombosis than the general population. Moreover, if they have hypercoagulable state they can have severe thrombosis and life-threatening thrombotic events. The purpose of this retrospective study is to analyze hypercoagulable state in HIV-seropositive patients who have been diagnosed with venous thromboembolism (VTE). This study is a subgroup study of a larger cohort group of HIV-seropositive patients with VTE followed up with our vascular medicine outpatient clinic. The patients included for this study were HIV-seropositive patients with hypercoagulable state, analyzed over the past 3 years, and followed prospectively. HIV-seropositive patients with arterial thrombosis were excluded. These patients had minimum, regular follow-up of 3 months, with a Doppler scan in the beginning and last follow-up. All the patients were analyzed for hypercoagulable state and the patients selected in this study were those who were tested positive for hypercoagulable state. All patients were analyzed for age, gender, race, site of thrombosis, coagulation factors, lipid panel, type of antiretroviral treatment, past or present history of infections or malignancy, CD4 absolute and helper cell counts at the beginning of thrombosis, and response to treatment and outcome. Patients with HIV with arterial thrombosis were excluded. The study was approved by the ethics committee. Five patients were included in this study. The mean age was 47.8 years (range 38 to 58 years). All were male patients with lower limb thrombosis. Most common venous thrombosis was popliteal vein thrombosis, followed by common femoral, superficial femoral, and external iliac thrombosis. Two patients had deficiency of protein S, two had high homocysteine levels, one had deficiency of antithrombin 3, and one had increase in anticardiolipin immunoglobulin G antibody. All the patients were taking nucleoside and nonnucleoside inhibitors but only one patient was taking protease inhibitors. There was no history of malignancy but two patients had past history of tuberculosis. The mean absolute CD4 counts were 244 cells/UL (range 103 to 392 cells/UL) and helper CD4 counts were 19.6 cells/UL (range 15 to 30 cells/UL). All were anticoagulated with warfarin or enoxaparin. There was complete resolution of deep vein thrombosis only in one patient on long-term anticoagulation but there was no resolution of thrombosis in the other four patients despite of therapeutic anticoagulation for more than 6 months. All the patients are alive and on regular follow-up. Thrombosis in HIV patients is seen more commonly in middle aged, community ambulant male patients. The most common hypercoagulable state was noted as deficiency of protein S and hyperhomocysteinemia. Eighty percent of the patients did not respond to therapeutic anticoagulation.

A rare case of behçet disease presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin, pulmonary embolism, and right ventricular thrombus.

Behçet disease is a systemic vasculitis characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers and uveitis. We describe a rare case of a 43-year-old woman with Behçet disease who was admitted for pyrexia of unknown origin, cough, dyspnea, and chest pain. Her computerized tomography scan revealed pulmonary embolism and right ventricular thrombus. She was treated with anticoagulation for pulmonary embolism and right ventricular thrombus. She was well during her last follow-up.

Recurrent unprovoked venous thromboembolism in a young female patient with high levels of homocysteine.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a rare condition which predisposes to atherothrombosis. Recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) with hyperhomocysteinemia is known but extremely uncommon. Homocysteine levels of more than 22 umol/L can predispose to VTE in a middle-aged women. We describe a case of a middle-aged woman, community ambulant with recurrent VTE with intermediately high homocysteine levels. She had no other risk factors for recurrent venous thrombosis. In our article, we also discuss hyperhomocysteinemia and its link to VTE.

A cohort study to analyze the risk of venous thromboembolism mortality in patients admitted to the general medicine department, tan tock seng hospital, singapore.

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients admitted to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore during October and November 2009. The primary outcome assessed was mortality due to VTE, or development of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (PE) within 3 months from the day of admission. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for all-cause mortality and deaths associated with PE. Seven hundred twenty-one patients admitted to the 5th floor of the General Medicine Department, TTSH, during the 2 months were analyzed. There were 368 (51.04%) female patients and 353 (48.96%) male patients. As per race distribution, 566 (78.50%) patients were Chinese, 100 (13.86%) patients were Malaysians, 46 (6.38%) patients were Indians, and 9 (1.26%) were other races. Four hundred ninety-two (68.24%) were independent for activities of daily living (ADL) and 229 (31.76%) were dependent for all ADL. There were in all 42 deaths. There were definite PE deaths in 2 (4.76%) patients, probable PE deaths in 3 (7.14%) patients, and suspected PE deaths in 8 (19.05%) patients. Twenty (47.62%) deaths were due to pneumonia, 3 (7.14%) deaths were due to urinary tract infections, and 4 (9.52%) deaths were due to other infections. Two (4.76%) deaths were due to myocardial infarction. The risk of VTE was high in acutely ill patients admitted to the General Medicine Department, TTSH, Singapore. The factors that predispose patients to a very high risk are ADL dependence, acute heart failure, past history of VTE, or if they are clinically dehydrated and have acute renal failure. This warrants increased awareness and need for VTE prophylaxis.

Bilateral massive pulmonary thromboembolism in a young patient treated with supportive measures and an inferior vena cava filter with excellent outcome.

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and often fatal disease with a mortality rate of more than 30% in untreated patients. There is a twofold increase in mortality in patients with massive PEs who do not receive treatment. Recurrent embolism is the most common cause of death. A 48-year-old woman presented to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, on December 16, 2009, with a massive pulmonary thromboembolism. She was admitted to the intensive care unit and treated with supportive measures, ventilatory support, antibiotics and ionotropes. The patient was diagnosed with urosepsis with septicemic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute renal failure, high anion gap metabolic acidosis, iron-deficiency anemia secondary to menorrhagia, and a uterine mass with high cancer antigen 125, although malignancy was ruled out. Anticoagulation or thrombolysis could not be provided in view of coagulopathy. The patient subsequently underwent inferior vena cava filter insertion on December 31, 2009. The patient showed clinical improvement over the next two weeks with antibiotics and supportive measures. If there is a contraindication to anticoagulation or thrombolysis, massive pulmonary thromboembolism should be treated aggressively with supportive measures. Inferior vena cava filter insertion should be instituted early to prevent recurrent PE, which can be fatal. It may take weeks before the patient displays clinical improvement.

Very high central aortic systolic pressures in a young hypertensive patient on telmisartan: Is central aortic systolic pressure associated with white coat hypertension?

Central aortic systolic pressure (CASP) is a very well-recognized tool to assess the end organ damage in patients with hypertension. It is known that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium channel blockers reduce CASP more than some antihypertensives such as beta-blockers. White coat hypertension with CASP has not been described and validated. The present report describes a very anxious 24-year-old patient on telmisartan (an angiotensin receptor blocker), with a very high CASP compared with his peripheral blood pressure (BP). He had a strong family history of hypertension, and was fairly well controlled on 80 mg/day telmisartan, with his BP ranging from 125/80 mmHg to 130/85 mmHg (home BP monitoring). In May 2009, he underwent routine CASP at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Singapore), and ambulatory BP measurements using a BPro watch (HealthSTATS, Singapore). The patient had a CASP of 132 mmHg at the hospital, but his calculated CASP by ambulatory BP measurement at 1 pm was 120 mmHg. His ambulatory BPs were 137/94 mmHg; thus, hydrochlorothiazide was added for further control. He was advised to repeat CASP measurements on follow-up in six weeks. He followed up on June 18, 2009, and July 30, 2009, and his CASPs were 139 mmHg and 137 mmHg, respectively. He underwent a magnetic resonance aortogram to exclude any obstructive cause for very high CASPs. His magnetic resonance aortogram revealed no evidence of coarctation of the aorta. CASP may have significant variations due to white coat phenomenon. Further 24 h CASP studies are needed to observe whether CASP is subject to white coat phenomenon.

Should symptomatic, isolated distal deep vein thrombosis be treated with anticoagulation?

BACKGROUND: During the past two decades, the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has made considerable progress. The term distal or calf vein thrombosis includes thrombosis in infrapopliteal veins, including the posterior tibial, peroneal, anterior tibial and muscular calf veins. The necessity of treating of distal DVT is debatable. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether treatment of isolated, distal DVT with anticoagulation versus no treatment affects patient outcome. METHODS: All patients discharged with a diagnosis of distal DVT from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007, were identified by the medical records office of the hospital. Compression of the intraluminal thrombus by duplex scan was used to diagnose distal DVT. Excluded were patients who either had both distal and proximal DVT, or had distal DVT along with pulmonary embolism (PE) at presentation. Complete resolution of distal DVT on repeat duplex scan was used to measure the primary outcome. Repeat follow-up scans were performed at two weeks, one month, three months and six months, or on subsequent follow-up until the distal DVT had resolved completely. Secondary outcome measures were complete improvement of symptoms, progression of thrombosis, or PE or death during the follow-up period. The study included 68 patients with distal DVT; however, 17 patients with PE, two of whom had proximal DVT (in the iliac and common femoral veins) at the first presentation along with distal DVT, were excluded from the study. In total, 51 patients were included for analysis. The follow-up scan was available in 35 patients; therefore, the primary analysis was performed in 35 patients (47 incidences of distal DVT). However, the secondary analysis was available in all 51 patients. Of the 35 patients available for follow-up scans, 17 patients (25 incidences of distal DVT) received anticoagulation and 18 patients (22 incidences of distal DVT) received no anticoagulation. Of the 17 patients who were treated with anticoagulation, nine patients (13 incidences of distal DVT) received enoxaparin at a dose of 1 mg/kg twice a day for two weeks and eight patients (12 incidences of distal DVT) received warfarin for a period of three months with initial overlap of enoxaparin 1 mg/kg twice a day for three to five days. Once the prothrombin time international normalized ratio of a patient on warfarin was between 2 and 3, enoxaparin was discontinued. The 18 patients who did not receive anticoagulation received follow-up with regular duplex scan. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences among the groups in the resolution of distal DVT or symptom improvement with or without treatment. In the group that received no treatment, one death occurred. Proximal extension and PE were not recorded in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: Distal DVT may not require treatment with anticoagulation. If leg symptoms worsen, or if there is an extension of distal DVT on the follow-up scan, treatment with anticoagulation is recommended.