Postoperative venous thromboembolism and brain tumors: part II. Hemostatic profile

Preoperative hemostatic data were obtained on 42 brain tumor patients and correlated with the subsequent occurrence of venous thrombosis detected with 1211-labeled fibrinogen leg scans. The occurrence of thrombosis correlated significantly with an increased prothrombin time, plasminogen, and total fibrinolytic activity and a decreased fibrinogen level. This overall trend in the group of patients with postoperative thrombosis indicates that the hemostatic disorder noted in brain tumor patients is most closely related to a subclinical form of chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome.