title: Measurement of D-dimer in plasma as diagnostic aid in suspected pulmonary embolism.
abstract: The potential of plasma measurement of D-dimer (DD), a specific derivative of crosslinked fibrin, for diagnosis or exclusion of pulmonary embolism was investigated in a prospective series of 171 consecutive patients who attended an emergency department with suspected pulmonary embolism. The diagnosis was made or excluded by means of a clinical decision-making process which included clinical evaluation, ventilation-perfusion (VQ) lung scan, and, as indicated, pulmonary angiography, venography, or non-invasive examination of the leg veins. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by this process in 55 (32%) of 170 patients with sufficient data. All but 1 of these 55 patients had a DD concentration of 500 micrograms/l or above. The sensitivity and specificity of this cutoff concentration for the presence of pulmonary embolism were 98% and 39%, respectively, which give positive and negative predictive values of 44% and 98%. Among the 115 patients (68%) who had inconclusive VQ scans, 31 were diagnosed as having pulmonary embolism. 29 of the remaining 84 patients without pulmonary embolism had DD concentrations below 500 micrograms/l, which means that further diagnostic procedures could have been avoided in a quarter of the patients with inconclusive VQ scans. The sensitivity of the plasma measurement of DD remained high even 3 and 7 days after presentation (96% and 93%). Plasma measurement of DD therefore has a definite place in the diagnostic procedure for suspected acute pulmonary embolism in attenders at emergency departments: a concentration below 500 micrograms/l rules out the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bounameaux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cirafici
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Moerloose
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Slosman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reber
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Unger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004630:Emergencies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m