Eight patients with femoro-popliteal or sural DVT, confirmed by phlebography, were treated with intravenous Desmin (LMW-dermatan sulphate): on the first day, after an initial i.v. injection of 400 mg, all patients received an infusion of 800 mg in 500 ml of saline, during 24 hours; this infusion was repeated in each of the subsequent 9 days (global treatment period: 10 days). To monitor efficacy of the antithrombotic treatment a phlebography, with calculation of Marder score, was repeated at the end of treatment. Laboratory tests monitoring blood coagulation were carried out: aPTT, TT, PT, Factor Xa inhibition (by chronometric and chromogenic method), Stachrom DS, fibrinogen, prothrombin fragments F 1+2 and TAT. Seven patients completed the ten-day treatment: 6 patients evidenced good improvement of the phlebographic patterns, 1 remained stationary and 1 patient was withdrawn due to adverse events. During the ten days treatment we did not observe any variation of blood coagulation tests. Desmin tolerability was good and no haemorragic episodes were registered. The collected results point to a good antithrombotic activity of the new LMW-dermatan sulphate, that deserves to be further evaluated with controlled investigations on larger number of patients. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd