LUNG SONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH SUSPECTED PULMONARY-EMBOLISM

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and diagnostic performance of lung transthoracic sonography in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism . Method: In a prospective clinical study we compared sonographic find ings of the peripheral lung with various scintigraphic gradings and D- dimer plasma concentrations. One hundred and nineteen consecutive pati ents with clinical signs of pulmonary embolism were investigated withi n 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. Results: Seventy patients with su spected pulmonary embolism (59%) had sonographic lesions, which were e cho poor, homogeneous and rounded or wedge-shaped with a hyperechoic r eflexion in the centre. Of the patients with high-probability scintigr aphic scans 86% had such sonographic lesions as had 79% with intermedi ate, 64% with low-probability and 33% with normal scintigraphic scans. Of the patients with positive sonographic findings and normal or low- probability scans only a minority (14%) had negative D-dimer tests. Co nclusion: We found a high rate of specific sonographic lesions in pati ents with suspected pulmonary embolism when investigating the peripher al lung with ultrasound.