THE INCIDENCE OF DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS AFTER HIP AND KNEE ARTHROPLASTY IN JAPAN

Objectives: Post-operative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is considered uncommon in Japanese. Numerous reports of pulmonary embolism (PE) have been reported in the last few decades, and although thrombo-embolic diseases appear to be increasing, the incidence of DVT and PE in Japan have not been investigated thoroughly. We studied the incidence of proximal DVT and PE in Japanese patients who had total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patients and Methods: Between October 1996 and November 2000, we performed THA on 99 patients and TKA on 75 patients at Mie University Hospital. All were included in this study. They were routinely examined for proximal DVT by ultrasonography before and after their operation. Those patients who had ultrasonographic findings of DVT were also investigated for PE by ventilation-perfusion lung scan. Results and Discussion: No patient had a DVT before surgery. Fourteen patients had post-operative DVT, detected by ultrasonography, and confirmed by venography. 12 cases were females and 2 cases were males. There were 5 cases of PE among the fourteen cases of DVT, The symptomayic PE were 2 cases, and non-incidence of PE were 3 cases. The incidence of DVT was 5.2% on the left side and 4.0% on the right side.The incidence of DVT was 11.2% in THA, and 4.0% in TKA, while that of PE was 5.0% in THA and 0% in TKA. These results suggest that DVT and PE in Japan are lower than those of white races.