Use of Ultrasound-Assisted, Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in a Patient With High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism

Abstract

High-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is a complex clinical entity associated with high mortality rates. Ultrasound-assisted, catheter-directed thrombolysis, typically used for intermediate-risk PE, may be a viable treatment approach for high-risk PE, particularly in patients at increased risk for major bleeding. This report describes a case in which ultrasound-assisted, catheter-directed thrombolysis was successfully used to treat high-risk PE in a female patient with extensive peritoneal metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma. Other examples from the literature, in which ultrasound-assisted, catheter-directed thrombolysis was used to treat high-risk PE, are also provided.

Keywords

• pulmonary embolism
• tissue plasminogen activator
• ultrasonography, interventional