The prevalence and natural history of UVPT in pregnancy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The prevalence and natural history of uterine venous plexus thrombosis in pregnancy
IRAS ID
294691
Contact name
Davor Jurkovic
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
No Z6364106/2021/04/26, UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 3 days
Research summary
A thrombosis is a blood clot in a blood vessel (a vein or an artery). Most commonly, venous thrombosis (VT) form in legs and often cause pain and swelling, prompting women to seek medical help. Sometimes, these clots can travel to lungs and cause potentially serious health problems. Currently all women diagnosed with clots in their legs or lungs are offered treatment.
Pregnancy increases your risk of clots which can occur at any time. Increasingly, we are diagnosing incidental VT in the veins of the pelvis, on ultrasound, in pregnant women who have no symptoms. There is no published information on the impact of pelvic vein clots (PVT) on women and their pregnancy. It is unknown if they behave the same as VT in the legs and therefore whether they require the same treatment. We would like to have a better understanding of how common these clots are in pregnancy, how many resolve if left alone and the potential health impact they can have on mother and baby. Patients attending our ‘walk-in’ early pregnancy unit will be invited to join our study. They will undergo a routine transvaginal ultrasound. If diagnosed with a PVT, they will follow a pathway which includes a scan to exclude clots in the legs and follow-up scans to monitor the PVT. Currently there is no evidence to suggest these clots require treatment. If they are not found to have a PVT, they will still be offered a more detailed ultrasound examination of the pelvic veins during their routine 12 weeks and 20 weeks of pregnancy scans and third trimester if they require a further baby scan.
If the presence of PVT is found to be associated with negative mother or baby outcomes, we will be better equipped to counsel and manage women diagnosed with PVT in the future.REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
21/ES/0106
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion