ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) and tomographic findings in patients who underwent multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for suspected PE in the emergency department.
Methods: We assessed the radiologic and medical records of 212 cases undergoing MSCT for suspected PE in the emergency department for a period of 16 months. A total of 201 cases were included in the final analysis. Age, sex, admission symptoms, risk factors, and MSCT findings were recorded. The final diagnosis assigned to each patient was determined.
Results: The PE incidence was found to be 24,4%. Forty-nine (24,4%) of the cases were diagnosed with PE, while 152 (75,6%) had non-thromboembolic pathologies. There was no statistically significant difference between the patients with and without PE with respect to mean age, symptom status and gender (p>0.05). Among the risk factors for PE, only presence of previous surgical operation was statistically significant. Forty-three (87,7%) of the cases with PE and 118 (77,6%) of those without PE had additional parenchymal abnormalities. Linear atelectasis was the only significant difference in MSCT between patients with PE and those without PE (p<0.001). A thrombus was detected in the main pulmonary artery (PA) in 15 (30.6%) patients and in right main PA in 12 (24.4%) patients.
Conclusion: Although PE is not diagnosed in the majority of cases undergoing MSCT for suspected PE, many miscellaneous information, either relevant to patient’s clinical signs and symptoms or incidental, may be obtained.
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