Perioperative D-Dimer Levels in Patients with Musculoskeletal Tumors

BACKGROUND: D-dimer (DD) levels have been reported as a sensitive but non-specific indicator for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Few reports have examined perioperative DD levels in musculoskeletal tumor. MATERIALS/METHODS: Subjects comprised 77 patients who had undergone oncological resection of musculoskeletal tumor. DD levels were assessed preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 and 7. Multidetector-row computed tomography (MD-CT) was performed to detect DVT/PE for cases with DD level >10.0 µg/ml. RESULTS: Mean preoperative DD level was 0.84 µg/ml. Significant elevation of postoperative DD levels was confirmed. DD levels were significantly changed by various clinical conditions, such as malignancy, age and prosthetic reconstruction. In 4 of 5 cases with postoperative DD levels >10.0 µg/ml, DVT/PE was detected. CONCLUSION: Activation of the coagulation system by surgery and heterogeneity of DD levels under various clinical conditions in musculoskeletal tumor patients were suggested.