Paget–Schroetter disease, also known as Paget–von Schrötter disease, is a form of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a medical condition in which blood clots form in the deep veins of the arms. These DVTs typically occur in the veins in the upper arm or chest and neck.
The condition is relatively rare. It usually presents in young and otherwise healthy patients, and also occurs more often in males than females. The syndrome also became known as “effort-induced thrombosis” in the 1960s,[2] as it has been reported to occur after vigorous activity, though it can also occur spontaneously. The typical patient is a large muscular male. It may also develop as a result of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Paget–Schroetter syndrome was described once for a viola player who suddenly increased practice time 10-fold, causing enough activity to cause this problem.
Symptoms may include sudden onset of pain, warmth, redness, blueness and swelling in the arm. The DVT that forms rarely travels to the lungs.
The traditional treatment for the thrombosis is the same as for a lower extremity DVT, and involves blood thinning medications. Alternative treatment is thrombolysis (clot-busting medication) to open up the vein, which aims to reduce the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome, followed by vein stenting and potentially surgery to remove the bone obstructing the vein if needed.
If you feel you have or may have had PSS in the past, we can help.
