Pseudocellulitis Need Not be Benign: Three Cases of Superficial Migratory Thrombophlebitis with "Negative" Venous Duplex Ultrasonography.

Trousseau syndrome is a rare phenomenon in cancer patients characterized by superficial migratory thrombophlebitis. In this brief report, the authors describe three recent case presentations of patients without a prior history of cancer who were treated for cellulitis prior to be admitted to the hospital. All three patients were found to have "negative" testing on venous duplex scanning. Communication with the technicians and additional clinical and laboratory evaluations confirmed Trousseau syndrome as well as an underlying hematologic cancer in each patient. Dermatologists should be aware of the diagnostic limitations in the venous duplex scanning, especially when evaluating superficial veins or areas overlying pain, and should recognize the importance of communicating with the technician performing the procedure.