Monday, November 26, 2007

D-dimer testing in pregnancy: helpful if normal

Since pregnancy is associated with elevated D-dimer levels clinicians have been hesitant to use the test in pregnant patients. Its usefulness in the diagnostic evaluation of pregnant patients for VTE had not been systematically reported, however, until publication of this study in Annals of Internal Medicine.

It turns out that the test is helpful when normal, and is normal often enough to make it worth while.

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