title: Pulmonary embolism with acute pancreatitis: a case report and literature review.
abstract: Acute pancreatitis is an inﬂammatory disease characterized by local tissue injury which can trigger a systemic inﬂammatory response. So vascular complications of pancreatitis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary embolism in acute pancreatitis has been reported to be very rare. We reported a case of pulmonary embolism with acute pancreatitis. A 38-year-old woman broke out upper abdomen pain without definite inducement. She had no nausea and vomiting, fever, dyspnea, cough and expectoration, chest pain. The patient had been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis in local hospital. The patient was treated with antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors, and the abdomen pain was alleviated slightly. But the patient came forth cough and expectoration with a little blood, progressive dyspnea. A computed tomographic scan of the abdomen revealed pancreatitis. Subsequent computer tomography angiography of chest revealed pulmonary embolism (both down pulmonary arteries, left pulmonary artery and branch of right pulmonary artery). Dyspnea of the patient got well with thrombolytic treatment and anticoagulation therapy. Pulmonary embolism is a rare but potentially lethal complication of pancreatitis. Familiarity with this complication will aid in its early diagnosis, therapy and prevent pulmonary embolism, a rare but catastrophic phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal medicine, Clinical Medical college of Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei Province, China. www95@126.com
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qing-Xia
authors.initials: QX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Wei-Zheng
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chang-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiao-Xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed