Ultrasound elasticity imaging of deep venous thrombosis

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and its sequela, pulmonary embolism (PE), is the leading cause of preventable in-hospital mortality in the USA and other developed countries. Once detected, acute and subacute clots must be differentiated from chronic DVT for appropriate treatment. However, there are no reliable thrombus staging methods presently available in clinical practice. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that blood clots can be staged using ultrasound-based reconstructive elasticity imaging. Fibrin-composed blood clots harden with development. By imaging the clot elasticity it may be possible to differentiate clots, and therefore, provide a non-invasive means of DVT staging.