Correspondence

Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) during pregnancy is a determining factor that contributes to increased maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. It may occur when there is thrombophilia, due to compression of the inferior vena cava, venous stasis or hormonal changes. Objectives: To assess patients who are pregnant or have just given birth and who have a DVT condition in the lower limbs, to search for possible causes of thrombophilia and to perform a review of the literature. Methods: Pregnant and puerperal patients were assessed by gynecologists and obstetricians when there was suspicion of DVT, from January 2004 through November 2006, during which time there were 24,437 childbirths at Hospital e Maternidade São Luiz; of these, 89 % were cesarean, 7.5% were normal births and 3.5 % were forceps deliveries. Of the total number of patients referred with a clinical status suggesting DVT, 42 cases were clinically diagnosed as DVT, in pregnant women aged between 21-39 years, confirmed by venous duplex scan. Right before the introduction of anticoagulant therapy, samples were collected to investigate thrombophilia, which were repeated after the treatment