Clinical and imaging profiles of pulmonary embolism: a single-institution experience
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(2020) 13:47
International Journal of Emergency Medicine
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Open Access
Clinical and imaging profiles of pulmonary embolism: a single-institution experience Omran Al Dandan1† , Ali Hassan1*† , Hossain AbuAlola1 , Alaa Alzaki2 , Abrar Alwaheed2 , Mohannad Alalwan2, Malak Al Shammari3 , Nouf AlShamlan3 and Hind S. Alsaif1
Abstract Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common life-threatening condition with non-specific clinical presentations. The diagnosis of PE depends highly on imaging studies, which may also provide prognostic information. This study aimed to describe the clinical and imaging profiles of patients with PE, emphasizing the differences between central and peripheral PE. Methods: After ethics review board approval, this retrospective observational study examined the non-negative results in adult patients who underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CT-PA) at our hospital between May 2016 and December 2019. Demographic and clinical information and imaging findings were collected from the electronic medical records. Results: The study included 85 cases that were identified after re-interpreting the 103 non-negative CT-PA scans. Six cases were excluded for incomplete data and 12 cases were false-positive. Central PE was found in 63.5% of the cases. Obesity was the most common risk factor seen in 37.6% of the cases. Furthermore, 9.4% of the patients had sickle cell disease, which tended to be associated with peripheral PE. There was no difference between the peripheral and central PE in most clinical and imaging parameters evaluated (P > 0.05). However, patients with isolated subsegmental PE were more likely to develop hemoptysis (P = 0.04). Conclusion: This study suggests that patients with obesity and sickle cell disease constitute an important proportion of all PE cases. Furthermore, the clinical and imaging profiles in patients with peripheral PE are similar to those in patients with central PE. Future research should focus on the clinical value of peripheral PE in patients with sickle cell disease. Keywords: Computed tomography angiography, Pulmonary embolism, Sickle cell disease, Obesity
Background Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a form of thromboembolic disease that is potentially life-threatening. The global burden of PE has not been estimated; however, it accounts for 100,000 deaths in the USA annually [1]. Despite being a common condition, PE can pose a diagnostic challenge because of its variable * Correspondence: [email protected] † Omran Al Dandan and Ali Hassan contributed equally to this work. 1 Department of Radiology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
presentations. Delaying or missing the diagnosis might result in significant morbidity and mortality [1]. Although the clinical features and risk factors for PE have been widely studied, a detailed evaluation of the geographic locations of these studies reveals that most wer
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