Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the leg veins of patients with Parkinson disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with Parkinson disease. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Outpatient neurology clinic. PATIENTS: Eighty-one patients with Parkinson disease. OUTCOME MEASURES: Duplex ultrasonographic scans consisting of M mode images and compression images, Doppler flow assessment and augmentation of flow assessment. RESULTS: Four patients had leg DVT; in 3 of the patients the thrombi were in calf veins, whereas in 1 patient the thrombosis was in the superficial femoral vein. Of the patients with DVT, 1 (1.23%) had stage 2 Parkinson disease, 1 (1.23%) had stage 2.5, and the other 2 (2.46%) had stage 4. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of DVT among patients who were more severely disabled by Parkinson disease. However, an overall incidence of DVT of 4.9% in a group of asymptomatic patients is clinically meaningful, suggesting that patients with Parkinson disease are at risk for asymptomatic leg DVT.