title: Pulmonary embolism: dilemmas in diagnosis and therapy.
abstract: Pulmonary embolism is unique among cardiorespiratory diseases because of its high frequency of both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. The lack of specific and consistent clinical, laboratory, roentgen, and electrocardiographic features lead to this paradox. While the lung scan may be diagnostic in selected cases, the pulmonary angiogram is the most accurate method of demonstrating emoboli short of operative or pathological examination.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008026:Ligation; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014481:United States; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000601:surgery; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D010100:Oxygen