Evaluation Of Vein Wall Remodeling In Patients After Deep Venous Thrombosis Of Lower Extremities By Conventional Ultrasound And Elastography

Objective: Aim to evaluate the vein wall remodeling in patients with DVT in different stages by conventional ultrasound and elastography.Methods: A total of 88 patients with proximal lower extremity DVT were divided into acute phase(≤ 14 days,n = 21),1-month group(30 ±14 days,22 cases),3-month group(90 ±14 days,22 cases)and 6-month group(180 to 365 days,23 cases).The affected vein was evaluated by conventional ultrasound and elastography for the vein wall remodeling in different stage groups.The vein parameters of contralateral healthy lower extremity in 19 patients were control group.Results:1.Evaluation of vein wall remodeling by conventional ultrasound:In the case group,the diameter of vein decreased with time in the acute phase,1-month,3-month and 6-month group(P<0.05).From the acute stage,the thickness of vein wall in the case group was thicker than that in the control group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the vein wall thickness of common femoral vein,superficial femoral vein and popliteal vein among each group.2.Parameters of elastic imaging:In the case group,the mean and maximum elasticity value of each segment in the 1,3 and 6-months group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05),and showed an increasing trend with time.There was no significant difference in the mean elasticity value of common femoral vein,superficial femoral vein and popliteal vein among each group.There was no significant difference in the maximum elasticity of the wall of common femoral vein,superficial femoral vein and popliteal vein in the case group.The mean and maximum elasticity value of thrombus involved in DVT were positively correlated with the mean and maximum elasticity value of the vein wall(r = 0.461,r = 0.395,P<0.001).Conclusion:1.The thickness and the elasticity of vein wall may be effective parameters to reflect the remodeling of vein wall.2.The formation and development of venous thrombosis can cause the remodeling of vein wall,the vein wall thickens obviously from the acute stage,and the elastic value of vein wall will increase with time.3.There was no obvious heterogeneity of vein wall thickness and mean elasticity value in common femoral vein,superficial femoral vein and popliteal vein.