Incidence of deep venous thrombosis in Chinese patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery for cruciate ligament reconstruction.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigated the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients undergoing arthroscopic cruciate ligament surgery. METHODS: A total of 282 patients were examined by color Doppler ultrasound preoperatively and 3 and 7 days postoperatively. RESULTS: DVT was present in 34 of 282 patients (12.1 %); of these, 11 (32.6 %) underwent reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), alone or in conjunction with the medial or lateral collateral ligament (MCL or LCL, respectively; 17.6 %); eight (23.5 %) of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL); four (11.8 %) of the PCL-MCL/LCL; and five (14.7 %) of the ACL-MCL. In patients with tourniquets applied for <90, 90-120, and >120 min, the incidence of DVT was 5.6, 12.8, and 17.4 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of DVT in normal patients undergoing ACL surgery was 12.1 %. A higher incidence was observed among cases of multiligament reconstruction, especially those involving the PCL, as well as in patients with tourniquets applied for more than 2 h. Based on these findings, prophylactic measures for DVT may be considered after arthroscopic knee surgery in order to decrease the incidence of DVT if specific risk factors are present. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE IV.