Clinical validity of a negative venogram in patients with clinically suspected venous thrombosis.

Although it is generally accepted that negative venography excludes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients in whom it is clinically suspected, there is no evidence to support this conclusion. To test the correctness of withholding anticoagulant therapy in these patients, we followed 160 consecutive patients who had clinically suspected DVT and negative venograms to determine the frequency of postvenographic DVT. Anticoagulant therapy was …