Clinical ultrasonography in venous thromboembolism disease

Abstract

The use of clinical ultrasonography has grown exponentially in the past decade in various medical settings. As with other areas of activity in the field of internal medicine, clinical ultrasonography has been implemented in venous thromboembolism disease, both in deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. In this review, we cover the diagnostic techniques, both for deep vein thrombosis through compression ultrasonography and for multiorgan ultrasonography, which include compression ultrasonography, pulmonary ultrasonography in the search for pulmonary infarctions and echocardiography for detecting dilation and right ventricular dysfunction for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. We also establish the most common clinical scenarios in which clinical ultrasonography can be of assistance in actual clinical practice, as well as its limitations and current evidence.

Keywords: Clinical multiorgan ultrasonography; Compression ultrasonography; Deep vein thrombosis; Ecografía clínica multiórgano; Embolia pulmonar; Enfermedad tromboembólica venosa; Pulmonary embolism; Trombosis venosa profunda; Ultrasonografía por compresión; Venous thromboembolism disease.