Whole Blood Agglutination D - Dimer Test for the
Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis
CHAIRAT PERMPIKUL, M.D.*,
CHOTIKA BOURANASOMPOP, M.D.*,
KHING CHANT A V ATCHARAKORN, M.D.*,
W ALAILAK CHAIY ASOOT, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Department of Medicine,
** Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
AbstractDeep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clinical syndrome the clinical diagnosis of which is
unreliable and objective tests often require specialized testing facilities. The authors examined the
diagnostic accuracy of the whole blood agglutination D-dimer (SimpliREDR) test in this con-
dition. Patients who presented with acute onset of leg swelling were included in the study. Whole
blood agglutination D-dimer test was performed upon admission and followed by the gold stan-
dard test, contrast venography. Forty three patients had venography proven DVT and proximal
occlusion was found in 31 of them. The sensitivity and specificity of the test for DVT were 88.4
per cent and 53 per cent respectively while the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative
predictive value (NPV) were 82.6 per cent and 64.3 per cent. Interestingly, when focusing the
diagnosis on proximal DVT, the sensitivity and NPV rose to 100 per cent, whereas, the specificity
and PPV remained unchanged (48.3 and 67.4%). In conclusion, whole blood agglutination D-dimer
test (SimpliREDR) was sensitive but not specific for DVT diagnosis. Moreover, when focusing
the diagnosis on proximal DVT, the test had excellent sensitivity and NPV. This test, therefore,
can be an effective screening tool for the high embolic risk proximal DVT.
Keywords : Deep Vein Thrombosis, D-Dimer Test
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