Symptomatic subsegmental pulmonary embolism: to treat or not to treat?

ABSTRACT: The introduction of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography and its recent increasing availability has led to a significant rise in its use to help clinicians diagnose acute pulmonary embolism (PE). This has led to a significant increase in the incidence of PE diagnoses. Simultaneously, the case fatality rate of acute PE has been decreasing and no significant change in its mortality has been noted, suggesting that the additional PE diagnoses are less severe and these patients might not benefit from anticoagulation therapy. This also seems to be correlated with an increase in the diagnosis of PE localized in the subsegmental pulmonary arteries (subsegmental pulmonary embolism [SSPE]). The clinical importance of SSPE is unclear. Whereas some studies have shown that it might be reasonable

SUBMITTER: Carrier M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6142620 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature