[D-dimer analysis in diagnosis of venous thromboembolism is reliable].

Analysis of D-dimer as an alternative to costly radiological examinations for excluding venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains controversial. In part this appears due to varying analytical performance of different D-dimer assay methods. We have evaluated a D-dimer method from BioPool, Sweden. Samples for D-dimer analysis were obtained from 86 consecutive patients admitted to the emergency unit at the Central Hospital in Kristianstad, Sweden, for symptoms consistent with venous thromboembolism. The result of the analysis was withheld for the duration of the study. In 21 patients a diagnosis of VTE was returned based upon radiological examination; 20 of these had D-dimer levels above the cut-off limit. The sensitivity for VTE using D-dimer was 95 per cent and the negative predictive value was 97 per cent. We conclude that D-dimer analysis in conjunction with a clinical investigation is helpful in excluding VTE in this category of patients.