Background: There is need for validated outcome measures for postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) following pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a focus on quality of life (QoL).
Aims: This article assesses reliability and validity of two PTS and two QoL scales for children following lower extremity VTE.
Methods: Pediatric patients following lower extremity VTE were recruited from three thrombosis clinics. The Manco-Johnson (MJ) and the modified Villalta (MV) PTS scales were compared with each other and with the generic pediatric health-related QoL, PedsQL, and a newly developed pediatric venous-specific QoL, the Peds-VEINES-QOL.
Results: Eighty children following VTE and 60 healthy control children were enrolled. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's α was high for the two QoL scales, and moderate for the two PTS scales. Inter-rater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients was moderate to high for the MJ, MV, and Peds-VEINES-QOL, and moderate for the PedsQL. Evidence of high internal consistency by Cronbach's α coefficients, and moderate to high interitem correlations support the premise that a single construct was measured by each instrument. Correlations between the four instruments indicate convergent validity.
Conclusion: The MJ and MV scales detect similar outcomes in children following VTE. As used, the MJ is slightly more sensitive to QoL because a positive diagnosis requires pain which is the leading factor in reduced QoL following deep vein thrombosis. When using the MV, a requirement for pain or abnormal use to diagnose PTS would make the MV a better predictor of QoL.
Thieme. All rights reserved.