Proximal vs distal DVT

Q: Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) located in the popliteal vein is designated as? - select one

A) Proximal DVT

B) Distal DVT 

Answer: A

DVT is labelled as proximal if it occurs in the vein at:

• popliteal
• femoral
• iliac 

DVT  is labelled as distal if it occurs in isolation in calf veins or below the knee, as in:

• peroneal
• posterior tibial
• anterior tibial
• gastrocnemius 
• soleal

#CVS

#hematology

Further readings:

1. Kabashneh S, Singh V, Alkassis S. A Comprehensive Literature Review on the Management of Distal Deep Vein Thrombosis. Cureus. 2020 May 10;12(5):e8048. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8048. PMID: 32537267; PMCID: PMC7286578.

2. Nishiwaki S, Morita Y, Yamashita Y, Morimoto T, Amano H, Takase T, Hiramori S, Kim K, Oi M, Akao M, Kobayashi Y, Toyofuku M, Izumi T, Tada T, Chen PM, Murata K, Tsuyuki Y, Saga S, Sasa T, Sakamoto J, Kinoshita M, Togi K, Mabuchi H, Takabayashi K, Shiomi H, Kato T, Makiyama T, Ono K, Inoko M, Kimura T; COMMAND VTE Registry Investigators. Impact of no, distal, and proximal deep vein thrombosis on clinical outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: From the COMMAND VTE registry. J Cardiol. 2021 Apr;77(4):395-403. doi: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2020.10.019. Epub 2020 Nov 18. PMID: 33218901.