Clinical inquiries. Does hypercoagulopathy testing benefit patients with DVT?

Abstract

There is no evidence to suggest that testing for hypercoagulopathy benefits most patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Nor has research established that thrombophilia test results improve the ability to predict recurrence better than clinical risk assessment alone. Testing may be warranted in patients younger than 50 years with idiopathic DVT or patients with recurrent episodes of thromboembolism to assess risk in other family members. A theoretical cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that testing for antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and homozygous factor V Leiden may be cost effective when comparing quality-adjusted life years in patients with idiopathic DVT.