Epidemiology and outcomes of clinically unsuspected venous thromboembolism in children: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Clinically unsuspected venous thromboembolic events (uVTE) detected during routine imaging pose a management challenge due to limited knowledge about their clinical significance. Unsuspected VTE are often referred as “asymptomatic,” “incidental,” or “clinically silent/occult” VTE. Objective: To understand the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of uVTE in children. Methods: A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search criteria included controlled vocabulary and keywords for VTE, incidental findings, and children (ages ≤ 21 years). Results: Among 10 875 articles, 51 studies (8354 children with 758 uVTE) were selected. The studies were heterogeneous, I2 96%; P