Deep Venous Thrombosis

This article will review the acute and chronic complications of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) for radiology nurses. DVT is one of the most common causes of in-hospital morbidity. In its acute form, it can lead to development of pulmonary embolism, which can be life threatening. In its chronic form, DVT may progress to postthrombotic syndrome. This review includes a brief overview of modalities used for DVT prevention and treatment. It outlines the importance of understanding the anatomic location of DVT as patients with iliofemoral DVTs have a better prognosis if treated with aggressive interventional or surgical treatment modalities.