In Search of Venous Thromboembolism: The First 2913 Years

OBJECTIVE. Venous thromboembolism was first described in India around 600–900 BC. It was not until the 17th through 19th centuries that Western researchers began to understand the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Roentgen's discovery of x-rays in 1895 led to the first objective imaging. CONCLUSION. Currently, scintigraphy, helical CT, MRI, and sonography provide accurate in vivo images. These high-quality images have forced clinicians to reevaluate many preimaging assumptions about and treatments for venous thromboembolism.