Residual Vein Thrombosis Establishes the Optimal Duration of Oral Anticoagulants
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2006-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
ABSTRACT Background The optimal duration of oral anticoagulant treatment in patients with
idiopathic venous thromboembolism is still uncertain . The present study addressed the
possible role of the Residual Vein Thrombosis in assessing the need for a prolonged
anticoagulation.
Methods Patients with a first episode of symptomatic unprovoked or provoked proximal Vein
Thrombosis (VT) were given Oral Anticoagulant Treatment (OAT) for 3 months. Residual Vein
Thrombosis (RVT), ultrasonographically-detected, will be then assessed. Patients without RVT
did not continue OAT, whereas those with RVT will be randomized to either stop or continue
OAT for 9 more months. Patients were followed-up prospectively focusing on the study
outcomes: occurrence of recurrent venous thromboembolism and major bleeding over a period of
at least 12 months after OAT discontinuation.