Acute pulmonary embolism: epidemiologic and tomodensitometric study

Acute pulmonary embolism is a common disease with substantial morbidity and mortality in untreated patients. It requires an urgent positive diagnosis. To assess the prevalence of acute pulmonary embolism and calculate the sensitivity and specificity of multidetector CT for the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism in a hospital specialized in cardio-thoracic diseases. This is a prospective study conducted at Abderrahmen Mami Hospital, which included 200 consecutive patients suspected of acute pulmonary embolism and explored by a multidetector CT pulmonary angiography [16 slices]. Prevalence of acute pulmonary embolism was calculated at 37.5%. The multidetector CT has enabled an alternative diagnosis in 46 patients [40%]. The sensitivity and specificity of multidetector CT were calculated respectively 89.6% and 100%. The prevalence of acute pulmonary embolism, in a hospital specialized in cardio-thoracic diseases, is higher than that found in general hospitals. High sensitivity and specificity of multidetector CT makes it the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism