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Background The prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with gastric cancer before surgery is unknown. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors for DVT of the lower extremities in patients with gastric cancer before surgery and to evaluate the usefulness of ultrasonographic screening for prevention of postoperative pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Methods Patients who had undergone lower-extremity venous ultrasonography before surgery for gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the predictors of DVT before surgery. Perioperative management of patients with DVTs and the incidence of postoperative PTE were investigated. Results Of the total 1140 patients, 86 had DVT preoperatively. On univariate analysis, the incidence of DVT was significantly higher with: female sex; age C80 years; PS C 1 (vs. PS = 0); stage IV (vs. stages I-III); history of preoperative chemotherapy; and the presence of a central venous catheter (CVC). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that sex, age C80 years, PS C 1, history of preoperative chemotherapy, and the presence of CVC were significantly correlated with DVT before surgery. Postoperative PTE occurred in 2 patients with proximal DVT. No patients in whom DVT was not detected developed PTE. Conclusions Female sex, older age, worse PS, the presence of CVC, and a history of preoperative chemotherapy were the independent risk factors for DVT. Routine lower-extremity venous ultrasonographic screening is useful for prevention of PTE because it can identify patients at high or low risk for PTE.

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Our results suggest that sonographic evaluation of the liver surface with a 7.5-MHz annular-array transducer using this classification provides detailed information on the evolution of chronic liver diseases that correlates with the laparoscopic and histopathologic findings and thus is a useful noninvasive method for monitoring the disease course to cirrhosis.

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