[Clinical diagnosis of thromboembolic complications. 125I fibrinogen test, thermography, ultrasound (author's transl)].

Early diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in all patients operated upon does not make sense. Prevention is better. Should dvt occur, phlebography is mandatory. The only other reliable objective method is the fibrinogen test, which is ideal for clinical research. Peripheral pulmonary emboli (pe) are more common than most people assume. Many are asymptomatic and lyse spontaneously, but often they are precursors of dangerous pe. Combined perfusion-ventilation scintigrams are often diagnostic. The combination of dyspnea, tachypnea, low pO2, and low pCO2 in the presence of a nearly normal chest X-ray makes a diagnosis of massive pe most likely. In all unclear situations pulmonary angiography is important.