Title:Echopulmonography as a Surrogate Modality in Disclosure of Occult Pulmonary Consequences of Pulmonary Vascular Occlusion
Volume: 16
Issue: 4
Author(s): Ahmed Mohammed Abumossalam, Marwa Mohammed Nashat El Mekkawy, Raed Elmetwally Ali Eid, Mohamed Salah and Ahmed Ehab*
Affiliation:
- Chest Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura,Egypt
Keywords:
Echopulmonography, computed tomography, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, DVT, CTPA.
Abstract:
Background: Diagnostic modalities of pulmonary embolism (PE) are still emerging day
after day with new tools and promising characteristic features.
Objective: The aim of our work was to assess the diagnostic yield of echopulmonography in patients
with PE regarding pleural, parenchymal and vascular features of acute events and consequences.
Methods: This is a prospective quasi-experimental study in which transthoracic echopulmonography
was adopted as a screening method for patients with clinical suspicion of PE in comparison to
Multi-Detector Computed Tomography Angiography of the chest, which is the best standard. This
study was conducted on 32 patients at the chest department in Mansoura University Hospital and a
Specialized Internal Medicine Hospital.
Results: Echopulmonography was positive for pulmonary embolism at 68.75% but was of negative
value in 31.25%. On the other hand, CTPA was positive for pulmonary embolism in (71.78%) but
was of negative value in 28.12%. EPG confirm PE in 87% of patients diagnosed with PE by CTPA
with a false-negative result of 13%. EPG could exclude PE in 77.7% of patients who were negative
for PE by CTPA with a false-positive result of 22.2%.
Conclusion: Echopulmonography might show promising features to be a substitute for computed
tomography angiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.
