• C M John and C Harkensee.
• Paediatrics, Neonatal Unit, Liverpool Womens Hospital, crown Street, Liverpool L8 7SS, Liverpool Womens Hospital, Crown street, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK, L8 7SS. cherijohn25@hotmail.com
• Cochrane Db Syst Rev. 2005 Jan 25 (1): CD004342.

BackgroundClinically symptomatic thromboses are infrequent but serious complications in infants undergoing intensive care. Most are related to central vascular catheters. Symptomatic thrombosis may cause severe morbidity due to irreversible organ damage and also loss of limbs.ObjectivesTo assess the efficacy and safety of thrombolytic agents in neonatal arterial and venous thromboses.Search StrategyWe searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2004), MEDLINE (January 1966 to January 2004), EMBASE (January 1980 to January 2004), and CINAHL (January 1982 to January 2004). We also contacted authors of appropriate review articles.Selection CriteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCT) and quasi RCT comparing thrombolytic agents with either heparin or observation in neonates with symptomatic neonatal arterial and venous thromboses were included.Data Collection And AnalysisTwo reviewers independently searched for eligible trials. No eligible studies were found even after contacting authors of review articles for details of any unpublished trials.Main ResultsNo randomised controlled trials (RCT) or quasi-RCT were found.Authors' ConclusionsNo conclusions could be made as no eligible studies were found. It is time that a randomised controlled trial was performed comparing thrombolytic therapy to heparin therapy to aid neonatologists in the treatment of arterial and venous thromboses.

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