Deep venous thrombosis after surgery for Achilles tendon rupture: a provoked transient event with minor long‐term sequelae

Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) occurs frequently in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, but there is a lack of knowledge regarding long‐term sequelae of DVT after different types of surgical procedures. Objective: To describe the long‐term effect of symptomatic (SDVT) and asymptomatic (ADVT) deep venous thrombosis on venous function and subsequent incidence of post‐thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients who have undergone surgery for Achilles tendon rupture. Patients/methods: This observational follow‐up study includes 83 patients with postoperative DVT, examined after a mean of 7 years. There were two series of patients: 45 with SDVT and 38 with ADVT. In both series, more than 90% of the DVTs were limited to calf veins. Follow‐up examinations comprised color duplex ultrasonography (CDU), strain‐gauge plethysmography (SGP), clinical examination including scoring for venous disease and questionnaires for quality of life (QOL). Results: A mild degree of PTS was found in 11% of the patients: 13% in SDVT and 8% in ADVT patients. The rate of recurrent ipsilateral DVT was 2%. Deep venous reflux was more common in patients with SDVT than in ADVT patients (84% vs. 55%, P