What Causes Calf Pain,swollen Foot And Ankle With Previous History Of Spontaneous Pulmonary Embolism?

Posted on Tue, 31 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 Answered on

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I've had a PE (two were found) in the past from a superficial vein thrombosis. This was around 4 years ago. I was treated appropriately and have been off all blood thinning meds for about 3 years. Two weeks ago, I went into the ED for an anaphylactic reaction to latex (it's pretty normal for me) and developed severe chest pain. They ran a d-dimer and it was elevated, did a CT with contrast and did not find a clot. Now, I have this pretty severe calf pain. I didn't fall, twist my leg or anything. My calfs are both the same size. My left ankle and foot are pretty swollen. My leg is not red or warm to the touch. Should I be concerned?

Answered by Dr. Deepak Kishore Kaltari (57 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Possibility of Deep vein thrombosis to be consider Detailed Answer: Namasthe Welcome to Healthcare-Magic Greetings of the day As per your complaint of severe calf pain, swollen foot and ankle along with previous history of spontaneous Pulmonary embolism, I would consider the possibility of deep vein thrombosis. Even if there is no redness which is unlikely in many of the cases, possibility of deep vein thrombosis is to be considered and ruled out by doing color doppler examination of the lower limb. I would suggest you to consult your Surgeon at earliest and get an color doppler examination done. I hope it helped. In case you require any further assistance, will be glad to assist you. Take care Best Regards Dr Deepak Kishore MBBS, MS, MCH Consultant Surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar