Radiographic patterns in patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary emobolism

Pulmonary embolism [PE] results in significant morbidity and mortality. Due to lack of awareness among physicians in this regard or non-availability of objective tests the diagnosis of PE is difficult. Clinical features are nonspecific and all diagnostic tests have certain limitations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate chest radiographic findings in diagnosed cases of acute pulmonary embolism. We conducted a retrospective, chart review study on chest radiographs of all patients admitted to Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran, Iran with a diagnosis of acute PE from April 2005 to February 2006. Fifty-one consecutive patients were diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism by single detection CT scan, perfusion scan and echocardiography. Three radiologists interpreted the chest radiographs. We found only 2 normal chest radiographs [4%] and the other 48 [96%] were abnormal. The most common abnormalities were pleural effusion [60%], pulmonary artery enlargement [56%], and parenchymal pulmonary infiltration [54%]. Although chest radiography cannot be used for diagnosing or excluding PE, it contributes to non-invasive diagnostic assessment of PE through the exclusion of diseases that may mimic PE