Imaging method in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism

Pulmonary thromboembolism has been a common cause of morbidity and mortality. The same has become the third cause of acute cardiovascular disease after acute myocardial infarction and cerebral vascular accident which has produced thousands of deaths per year. Two large multicenter studies have found that although it was reported a mortality rate of up to 50-58% in patients with hemodynamic compromise, even at hemodynamically stable patients the mortality rate varied from 8-15%. Studies of autopsy have shown that up to 10% of the intrahospital deaths are secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism, despite its high incidence have been difficult to diagnose. Within the diagnostic arsenal that has accounted this entity are found: the clinical assessment, laboratory tests such as D dimer, ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy, venous Doppler U.S. of the lower limbs, pulmonary angiography and computed tomography angiography. Helical computed tomography angiography has offered, in daily clinical practice, the first line study in patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism, this happens at the end of the decade of the eighties. The computed tomography angiography has offered many advantages with respect to its competitors including availability, cost-benefit, volumetric image acquisition, and with the reconstruction resulting, identification of alternative diagnoses, the ability of valuation of pelvic veins and inferior limbs at the same time and good interobserver concordance. Computed tomography has revolutionized radiology and medicine, it has been noninvasive diagnostic technique of great power that is in continuous development. This technique by its high spatial and temporal resolution to study virtually any organ and has replaced other techniques previously established in the diagnostic algorithms. The benefits of the technique have been clear but is not without limitations. Computed tomography studies should be performed only when they are clinically justified and its usefulness must be demonstrated in all possible scenarios before generalizing their applications. Pulmonary angiography, was in the past the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism, there is sufficient evidence that angioTC can prove, single mode and noninvasive, with increased rates of sensitivity and specificity of the presence of this pathology and optionally be the line first study to confirm the diagnosis. (author)