title: Point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.
abstract: The best diagnostic strategy to confirm or exclude pulmonary embolism (PE) suspicion needs an appropriate combination of clinical assessment, plasma D-dimer measurement, and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA). CTPA should be used with caution in some patient groups, such as patients with known allergy to contrast media, those with severe renal insufficiency, and pregnant women, and could be not immediately available in case of unstable patients. In the emergency setting, alternative diagnostic strategies should be implemented to overcome CTPA limitations. Ultrasonography is certainly a valuable alternative diagnostic tool. In addition to echocardiography and lower limb compressive venous ultrasonography, lung ultrasound (US) may play an important role in selected patients' subgroups. Recent data on the diagnostic performance of a triple point-of-care US (lung, heart, and leg vein US) are discussed in the present paper, and pros and cons of triple point-of-care US are compared with those of standard diagnostic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Research Center on Thromboembolic Disorders and Antithrombotic Therapies, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy ; U.O. Medicina I, Ospedale di Circolo, Viale Borri 57, 21100 Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Squizzato
authors.affiliation: Research Center on Thromboembolic Disorders and Antithrombotic Therapies, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy ; Department of Medicine, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Victor E A
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Gerdes
keywords: Echocardiography; Lower limb compressive venous ultrasonography; Lung ultrasound; Point-of-care ultrasound; Pulmonary embolism diagnosis; Venous thromboembolism