Role of CT in Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism

Objectives: To evaluate the role of CT in diagnosis of acute pulmonary thromboembolism and also to differentiate it from chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed on patients with clinical suspicion of acute pulmonary thromboembolism who underwent chest CT at the Department of Radio diagnosis. All patients were scanned on Toshiba Alexion 16 slice. Plain and contrast studies were performed. Results: The common CT findings seen in cases of acute pulmonary thromboembolism are complete or partial filling defect in pulmonary arteries or its branches. The arteries with filling defects were enlarged compared to patent vessels. Some cases showed peripheral intraluminal filling defect that forms acute angles with the arterial wall. Peripheral wedge-shaped areas of hyperattenuation that may represent infarcts, along with linear bands were also noted. Some of the cases showed findings suggestive of chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Conclusion: The timely and accurate diagnosis of acute pulmonary thromboembolism is crucial to providing appropriate patient care. Pulmonary CT angiography is the imaging modality of choice in suspected acute pulmonary thromboembolism.