Squizzato et al. Critical Ultrasound Journal (2015) 7:7
DOI 10.1186/s13089-015-0025-5
"Abstract
The best diagnostic strategy to confirm or exclude pulmonary embolism (PE) suspicion needs an appropriate
combination of clinical assessment, plasma D-dimer measurement, and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography
(CTPA). CTPA should be used with caution in some patient groups, such as patients with known allergy to contrast
media, those with severe renal insufficiency, and pregnant women, and could be not immediately available in case of
unstable patients. In the emergency setting, alternative diagnostic strategies should be implemented to overcome
CTPA limitations. Ultrasonography is certainly a valuable alternative diagnostic tool. In addition to echocardiography
and lower limb compressive venous ultrasonography, lung ultrasound (US) may play an important role in selected
patients’ subgroups. Recent data on the diagnostic performance of a triple point-of-care US (lung, heart, and leg vein
US) are discussed in the present paper, and pros and cons of triple point-of-care US are compared with those of
standard diagnostic approaches.
Keywords: Pulmonary embolism diagnosis; Venous thromboembolism; Point-of-care ultrasound; Lung ultrasound;
Echocardiography; Lower limb compressive venous ultrasonography"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447771/pdf/13089_2015_Article_25.pdf