Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by acute right heart morphologic and hemodynamic changes observed during exercise stress echocardiography.
In addition to the conventional means of diagnosing pulmonary embolism, resting echocardiography has sometimes been useful. We describe the case of a patient with a normal resting transthoracic echocardiogram, but with a markedly abnormal posttreadmill exercise echocardiogram revealing acute right ventricular dilatation, marked ventricular septal shift, and acute pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary embolism was suspected and subsequently confirmed by chest computed tomographic angiography.
Ramanath
Vijay S
VS
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania 15213-2582, USA.
Lacomis
Joan M
JM
Katz
William E
WE
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology