Deep Venous Thrombosis of Lower Limb after Thoracolumbar Surgery: (A Prospective Cohort Study)

Spinal cord surgery, particularly thoracolumbar surgery, is associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the incidence rate of deep vein thrombosis after thoracolumbar surgery using Doppler sonography.

This prospective cohort study was conducted on 51 patients with spinal cord and thoracolumbar surgeries from January 2021 to October 2021. All the patients were evaluated for DVT by Doppler sonography one day before and one month after surgery. The elastic stockings were worn by all the cases, and low molecular weight Heparin (LMWH) was started after surgery and continued for two weeks.

According to preoperative results, no evidence of DVT was present. Based on Doppler sonography results, the incidence rate of DVT was 3.92% one month after surgery. Clinical thrombosis was not detected in any of the patients.

According to the results, the DVT incidence rate was 3.9% in patients with Thoracolumbar Surgery. Prophylaxis needs to be seriously considered because DVT is a life-threatening issue.