Aims: To audit the use and value of venous duplex ultrasound in patients hospitalised for cellulitis at Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand.
Methods: The case notes of all patients with the discharge diagnosis of lower limb cellulitis admitted between January 2002 and December 2004 were reviewed for evidence of having undergone lower limb duplex ultrasonography. The presence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) at this time was recorded and those who had thrombosis were reviewed in more depth to assess the presence of known risk factors.
Results: 240 of the 1515 patients with lower limb cellulitis underwent ultrasonography of the lower limb. Of these, 15 demonstrated deep venous thrombosis; in only 3 of these 15 were the two conditions thought to have occurred concurrently. Two of the three patients with concurrent DVT and cellulitis had active malignancy, and the third had injected battery acid into the affected leg.
Conclusions: Concurrent DVT and cellulitis is rare and this study suggests that investigation with ultrasonography in the absence of risk factors for DVT has a low yield.