The incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during hip arthroscopic surgery

Introduction: The use of hip arthroscopy has been widely increasing. Although deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is thought to be a serious complication of orthopaedic surgery, there were few reports discussing DVT related to hip arthroscopic surgery. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of DVT related to hip arthroscopic surgery. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 72 patients. Clinical diagnosis of DVT was confirmed through ultrasonography performed preoperatively and 3 days postoperatively. Additionally, d-dimer levels were measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. Age, body mass index, operation time, procedure type, and d-dimer levels were statistically compared between the two groups (identified DVT vs. no identified DVT). Results: Five patients (6.94 %) were diagnosed with DVT clinically, although all cases were asymptomatic. The mean age of the patients with identified DVT was 62.0 ± 6.1 years; significantly higher than the mean age of the patients without DVT (45.1 ± 1.7 years; P = 0.0188). Conclusion: The incidence of DVT during hip arthroscopy, investigated by ultrasound, was 6.94 %. From our results, we recommend screening for and treatment of asymptomatic DVT, especially in older patients, during hip arthroscopic surgery.