Incidence of DVT following surgery of the foot and ankle

A prospective study was undertaken to establish the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients who had undergone surgery of the foot and ankle. All consecutive patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery in the senior author's practice had duplex ultrasound performed of the bilateral calves at the first postoperative visit. Of 201 patients, deep calf clots were found in seven patients (3.5%), but none of these showed progression on follow-up ultrasound or extension proximal to the calf. By the authors' criteria, none of the studied patients required treatment. The authors feel that the rate and progression of DVT after foot and ankle surgery is low and does not require routine prophylaxis. Factors associated with risk of DVT formation were postoperative immobilization, hindfoot surgery, tourniquet time and advancing age.