Spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography for investigating suspected pulmonary embolism: clinical outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the clinical outcomes of patients who were suspected of having acute pulmonary embolism and underwent spiral computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for diagnosis.


METHODS
We evaluated the clinical outcomes of 62 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism; 82 CTPA scans were performed in a 15-month period. Clinical outcomes were recorded for all patients for a minimum of 3 months.


RESULTS
Acute pulmonary embolism was diagnosed and treated in 11 (18%) of the 62 patients evaluated via CTPA. Scans of the other 51 (82%) patients were negative for pulmonary embolism. Seven (14%) of these patients died during the 3-month follow-up period; pulmonary embolism was considered to be a contributing factor in 1 of these deaths. Seven (14%) of the 51 patients were lost to follow-up, and 37 (74%) showed no evidence of disease at least 3 months after a negative CTPA study. Despite the presence or absence of an acute pulmonary embolism, an alternate or additional diagnosis was made on 32 (52%) CTPA scans.


CONCLUSIONS
Spiral CTPA can be effectively used to rule out clinically significant pulmonary emboli and also serves to provide alternate diagnoses in patients who do not have a pulmonary embolism.
Lombard
Jennifer
J
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Health Sciences Centre, St. John's, Nfld., A1B 3V6.
Bhatia
Rajdeep
R
Sala
Eric
E
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed