Viera Štvrtinová, Denisa Čelovská
Traditionally superficial thrombophlebitis (ST) has been considered a relatively innocent and limited disease or sign of a chronic venous disease. However, more recent information suggests that in quite a number of cases ST may be accompanied by deep venous thrombosis and/or complicated by pulmonary embolism. As symptoms and signs of ST are overt, the diagnosis is primary clinical. But for the precise evaluation of the ST extension the duplex ultrasound (DUS) investigation is needed. DUS allows evaluating not only the length of thrombosis in the superficial vein but also the eventual extension of the thrombus into the deep venous system. The main therapeutic procedure is compression and mobilization. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce painful symptoms and perivenous inflammation, but there is no evidence that they reduce the incidence of thromboembolic events. Especially in cases of extensive ST anticoagulant therapy is a good choice.