Imaging for deep venous thrombosis.

The diagnosis of DVT is a perplexing clinical challenge for the emergency physician. The algorithm depicted in Figure 9 from Hobson et al represents a logical strategy for the application of noninvasive studies. Positive studies in the proper setting that are reliably interpreted can dictate anticoagulant therapy, but equivocal or uninterpretable tests must be followed by invasive testing to exclude clot. Negative tests require close follow-up and serial evaluation to detect potentially silent early clot formation.