title: Contribution of noninvasive evaluation to the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in hospitalized patients.
abstract: The effectiveness of new diagnostic tools for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE), such as clinical probability assessment, plasma D-dimer (DD) measurement and lower limb venous compression ultrasonography (US), has not been specifically studied in patients with a suspected PE occurring during hospital stay. This study applied a sequential, decision analysis-based strategy adding these instruments to a ventilation/perfusion lung scan in a cohort of 114 consecutive inpatients clinically suspected of PE in order to establish in how many patients a pulmonary angiogram could thereby be avoided. A definitive diagnosis could be established by the noninvasive protocol in 61% of these patients: normal/near-normal lung scan, 14%; high probability lung scan, 19%; clinical probability combined with lung scan result, 18%; and US, 8%. Specificity of DD was only 7% and contributed to the exclusion of PE in only two patients. Pulmonary angiography was required in 39% of patients. The 3-month thromboembolic risk in patients in whom PE was excluded by the diagnostic process was 0% (95% confidence interval 0-4.9%). In conclusion, a noninvasive work-up for suspected pulmonary embolism is effective in hospitalized patients, allowing to forego angiography in 61% of them, and it appears to be safe, although this should be further investigated. In contrast to outpatients, D-dimer measurement appears to be useless in hospitalized patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Miron
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perrier
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bounameaux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Moerloose
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Slosman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Didier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Junod
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D