What is the name of the condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg?

The condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg, is deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

DVT most often involves deep veins in the calf, thigh, or pelvis. A clot may cause one-sided swelling, pain, warmth, redness, or tenderness, but some DVTs produce no noticeable symptoms. Diagnosis commonly relies on medical assessment and imaging, especially compression ultrasonography, rather than symptoms alone.

The major danger is that part of the clot can break loose and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism. DVT and pulmonary embolism are therefore grouped as venous thromboembolism, but they are not interchangeable terms: DVT is the clot in the vein, while pulmonary embolism is the complication in the lungs.

Risk rises with prolonged immobility, recent surgery or injury, cancer, pregnancy, estrogen-containing medicines, older age, obesity, smoking, and inherited or acquired clotting disorders. Anticoagulants are the standard treatment for many patients. Peripheral artery disease affects arteries, and varicose veins are usually superficial enlarged veins, so neither is the quiz answer.