Puerperal thromboembolic disease in "high risk" cases.

One hundred obstetric patients were studied for evidence of puerperal thromboembolic disease. Only one case of deep vein thrombosis was detected in patients thought to be in a "high risk" category because of age or operative intervention. Clinical findings were unreliable compared with measurements of (125)I-labelled fibrinogen uptake. Doppler ultrasound flow detection proved a simple screening technique but produced no abnormal findings in this series.