Treatment of DVT: Thrombolysis

Thrombolysis for a deep vein thrombosis in the lower limb. If your leg is severely swollen and you have had a diagnosis of a deep vein thrombosis made and you are in severe pain and the leg is swollen and pale, it is possible that the doctors looking after you may consider offering you a medication to dissolve the clot. It is thought that this may actually reduce your chance in the future of developing something called the post-thrombotic leg syndrome where people have a swollen painful leg, have pain on walking and may even get a a leg ulcer. However, when this form of treatment has been examined in a number of clinical trials which have taken all comers who present with lower limb deep vein thrombosis, the results have shown that there has actually been no reduction in all patients with respect to the incidence of the post-thrombotic syndrome or an improvement in quality of life. However it is thought that there may be a cohort of patients with what is thought to be severe post-thrombotic syndrome may benefit from having the blood clot dissolving medicine and this is very much a discussion for you and your clinician at the time that you present.