Peripheral pulmonary embolism: A missed entity

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is common, but often under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed entity. Pulmonary infarct is often caused by embolus in the peripheral branches, and timely diagnosis is often more challenging. Although peripheral pulmonary infarct is not fatal, it can be misdiagnosed as pneumonia or pleural effusion. Accurate diagnosis is also essential not only to rule out risk factors and prothrombotic states but also to prevent future thrombotic events. We report a case of 35-year-old male who presented with a history of isolated right-sided pleuritic chest pain of 1-week duration, diagnosed as a case of PE with a peripheral infarct. After 3 months of anticoagulation, he underwent screening for thrombophilia and detected to have factor V Leiden mutation. This case report highlights the fact that PE should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pleuritic chest pain.

Keywords

• Pleuritic chest pain
• pulmonary embolism
• pulmonary infarct