Current strategies for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

Abstract

The diagnosis of symptomatic acute pulmonary embolism (PE) should be considered in any patient presenting with new-onset dyspnea, worsening of usual dyspnea, chest pain, syncope, or hypotension without an alternative explanation, particularly when basic complementary tests (chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and arterial blood gas analysis) rule out other differential diagnoses. PE, therefore, represents a condition with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, with varying prognosis and treatment. This generally renders the diagnostic management of patients with suspected PE complex, which could be detrimental to patient survival given its potential lethality. This review addresses how to assess the clinical probability of PE, the diagnostic value of basic readily accessible tests, diagnostic tests, and their integration into validated algorithms, as well as the most current diagnostic strategies validated in PE.

Keywords

• Computed tomography. Diagnosis. Diagnostic algorithm pregnancy. Pulmonary angiography. Pulmonary embolism.