1
|
Stolberg S, Mudawi D, Dean K, Cheng A, Barraclough R. Investigation and management of pulmonary embolism 2: specific clinical conditions. Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2021; 82:1-6. [PMID: 34338010 DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2021.0286b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Pulmonary embolism remains a common and potentially deadly disease, despite advances in diagnostic imaging, treatment and prevention. Managing pulmonary embolism requires a multifactorial approach involving risk stratification, determining appropriate diagnostics and selecting individualised therapy. The first part of this article reviewed the pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic management and early outpatient management of pulmonary embolism. This second part summarises pulmonary embolism in the setting of pregnancy, COVID-19, recurrent disease and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Stolberg
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Dalia Mudawi
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Katrina Dean
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Cheng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hadei SK, Alvandi M, Ramezani M, Aloosh O, Shaghaghi Z, Moradi A. Applying Wells score to inconclusive perfusion only modified PIOPED II (Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis II) readings in order to optimize the lung scintigraphy diagnostic yield in acute pulmonary embolism detection. Ann Nucl Med 2020; 34:521-526. [PMID: 32447628 DOI: 10.1007/s12149-020-01478-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE When using perfusion only modified PIOPED II criteria for PE detection, generated non-diagnostic scans are found to be the main diagnostic restriction. The objective of current study is to identify the role of Wells criteria added to inconclusive readings with the intent of enhancing the lung scintigraphy diagnostic yield. METHODS CTPA was performed in 34 suspected PE patients with inconclusive lung scintigraphy. They also were evaluated by Wells score and classified as low, intermediate and high probability. Overall prevalence and the rate of PE for each probability were calculated. Furthermore, NPV for scores < 2 and PPV for scores > 6 were computed. RESULTS Having a mean age of 59.75 ± 17.38 years, 7 (20.6%), 23 (67.6%) and 4 (11.8%) of cases had total criteria point count < 2, 2-6 and > 6, respectively. Using CTPA, 5 patients (14.7%) were diagnosed with PE. None of the patients with scores < 2 had PE with an associated NVP of 100%. Patients with scores 2-6 had a PE rate of 4.3% and 100% of patients with scores > 6 were diagnosed with PE, implying that the PPV of scores > 6 was 100%. CONCLUSION Adding Wells score to non-diagnostic scans allowed identification of PE to be done reliably, and provided further insight into how lung scintigraphy in conjunction with clinical assessment is a practical strategy not only for the patients unfit for performing CTPA but also in all the patients referred for PE evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Kamaledin Hadei
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Farshchian Cardiovascular Subspecialty Medical Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Maryam Alvandi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Clinical Development Research Unit of Farshchian Heart Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Ramezani
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Farshchian Cardiovascular Subspecialty Medical Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Oldooz Aloosh
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Hazrat-E-Rasoul General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Shaghaghi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Clinical Development Research Unit of Farshchian Heart Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Abbas Moradi
- School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tester J, Hammerschlag G, Irving L, Pascoe D, Rees M. Investigation and diagnostic imaging of suspected pulmonary embolism during pregnancy and the puerperium: A review of the literature. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol 2020; 64:505-515. [PMID: 32307898 DOI: 10.1111/1754-9485.13027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of maternal mortality with women at increased risk of PE during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Clinical assessment of suspected PE during pregnancy is challenging as signs and symptoms associated with PE overlap with physiological changes of pregnancy. Clinical tests and rules commonly used to assess pre-test probability of PE were historically not well validated in the pregnant population. The challenges of clinical assessment in the pregnant and postpartum population result in a lowered threshold for diagnostic imaging. Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and nuclear medicine lung scintigraphy or ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scans are the main types of diagnostic imaging for suspected PE. Both methods are associated with small levels of ionising radiation exposure to mother and foetus. Accuracy of the diagnostic imaging tests is paramount. Haemodynamic changes of pregnancy, including increased heart rate, increased blood volume and altered flow velocity in the pulmonary arteries, may influence the quality of imaging. This comprehensive review examines the literature and evidence for the investigation and diagnostic imaging of suspected pulmonary embolism during pregnancy with CTPA and V/Q. Clinical decision-making tools, biomarkers and diagnostic imaging during pregnancy and postpartum will be considered with a focus on diagnostic accuracy and yield, radiation dose exposure (maternal-foetal) and protocol modifications. Current practice guideline recommendations and recent literature on diagnostic pathways are also presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jodie Tester
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gary Hammerschlag
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louis Irving
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Diane Pascoe
- Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Radiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Megan Rees
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rotzinger DC, Dunet V, Ilic V, Hugli OW, Meuli RA, Schmidt S. Pulmonary embolism during pregnancy: a 17-year single-center retrospective MDCT pulmonary angiography study. Eur Radiol 2020; 30:1780-1789. [PMID: 31728689 PMCID: PMC7033070 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-019-06501-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) and alternative diagnoses detected by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in pregnant women; and to assess changes over time regarding radiation dose, technical quality, and examination frequency. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study included all pregnant women referred for CTPA due to clinically suspected PE over 17 years. Two blinded radiologists reviewed the CTPAs in consensus with regard to PE, alternative diagnoses, and technical quality. We retrieved patient data regarding radiation dose metrics and associated clinical and laboratory parameters. Subgroup comparisons were performed (Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests). RESULTS Of the 237 identified patients, 8 (3.3%) were excluded due to inadequate technical CTPA quality, and 229 patients were analyzed (mean age, 31.7 years; mean gestational age, 28 ± 7 weeks). The four different CT systems used over the study period had similar technical quality (p = 0.28). Of 229 patients 16 (7%) patients had PE, 144 (62.9%) had no abnormal findings, and 69 (30.1%) had an alternative diagnosis (consolidation, other pulmonary opacities, pleural effusion, and basal atelectasis). Gestational age, symptoms, and D-dimer levels were not significantly different between patients with or without PE (p > 0.05). Over time, radiation dose exposure decreased by 30% (p < 0.001), while the number of annual examinations increased by > 4-folds. CONCLUSIONS In pregnant women, CTPA rarely indicates PE and more often shows alternative diagnoses. Over 17 years, the use of CTPA in pregnancy has notably increased, while the radiation dose exposure has decreased by one third. KEY POINTS • The use of CTPA in pregnancy has steadily risen over the last 17 years • In pregnant women, CTPA rarely reveals PE and more often shows alternative diagnoses • Recent technical improvements have substantially decreased the radiation dose exposure inherent in CTPA without reducing diagnostic image quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David C Rotzinger
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Emergency Radiology Division, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Vincent Dunet
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Emergency Radiology Division, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vesna Ilic
- Centre d'Imagerie du Nord Vaudois (CINOV), Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
| | - Olivier W Hugli
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Emergency Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Reto A Meuli
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Emergency Radiology Division, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Schmidt
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Emergency Radiology Division, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine (FBM), University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kwan ML, Miglioretti DL, Marlow EC, Aiello Bowles EJ, Weinmann S, Cheng SY, Deosaransingh KA, Chavan P, Moy LM, Bolch WE, Duncan JR, Greenlee RT, Kushi LH, Pole JD, Rahm AK, Stout NK, Smith-Bindman R. Trends in Medical Imaging During Pregnancy in the United States and Ontario, Canada, 1996 to 2016. JAMA Netw Open 2019; 2:e197249. [PMID: 31339541 PMCID: PMC6659354 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.7249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The use of medical imaging has sharply increased over the last 2 decades. Imaging rates during pregnancy have not been quantified in a large, multisite study setting. OBJECTIVE To evaluate patterns of medical imaging during pregnancy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective cohort study was performed at 6 US integrated health care systems and in Ontario, Canada. Participants included pregnant women who gave birth to a live neonate of at least 24 weeks' gestation between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2016, and who were enrolled in the health care system for the entire pregnancy. EXPOSURES Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, conventional radiography, angiography and fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Imaging rates per pregnancy stratified by country and year of child's birth. RESULTS A total of 3 497 603 pregnancies in 2 211 789 women were included. Overall, 26% of pregnancies were from US sites. Most (92%) were in women aged 20 to 39 years, and 85% resulted in full-term births. Computed tomography imaging rates in the United States increased from 2.0 examinations/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 11.4/1000 pregnancies in 2007, remained stable through 2010, and decreased to 9.3/1000 pregnancies by 2016, for an overall increase of 3.7-fold. Computed tomography rates in Ontario, Canada, increased more gradually by 2.0-fold, from 2.0/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 6.2/1000 pregnancies in 2016, which was 33% lower than in the United States. Overall, 5.3% of pregnant women in US sites and 3.6% in Ontario underwent imaging with ionizing radiation, and 0.8% of women at US sites and 0.4% in Ontario underwent CT. Magnetic resonance imaging rates increased steadily from 1.0/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 11.9/1000 pregnancies in 2016 in the United States and from 0.5/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 9.8/1000 pregnancies in 2016 in Ontario, surpassing CT rates in 2013 in the United States and in 2007 in Ontario. In the United States, radiography rates doubled from 34.5/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 72.6/1000 pregnancies in 1999 and then decreased to 47.6/1000 pregnancies in 2016; rates in Ontario slowly increased from 36.2/1000 pregnancies in 1996 to 44.7/1000 pregnancies in 2016. Angiography and fluoroscopy and nuclear medicine use rates were low (5.2/1000 pregnancies), but in most years, higher in Ontario than the United States. Imaging rates were highest for women who were younger than 20 years or aged 40 years or older, gave birth preterm, or were black, Native American, or Hispanic (US data only). Considering advanced imaging only, chest imaging of pregnant women was more likely to use CT in the United States and nuclear medicine imaging in Ontario. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The use of CT during pregnancy substantially increased in the United States and Ontario over the past 2 decades. Imaging rates during pregnancy should be monitored to avoid unnecessary exposure of women and fetuses to ionizing radiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn L. Kwan
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland
| | - Diana L. Miglioretti
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle
| | - Emily C. Marlow
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis
| | - E. J. Aiello Bowles
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Seattle
| | - Sheila Weinmann
- Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon
- Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu
| | | | | | - Prachi Chavan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Lisa M. Moy
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland
| | - Wesley E. Bolch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville
| | - James R. Duncan
- Interventional Radiology Section, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Robert T. Greenlee
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Marshfield, Wisconsin
| | - Lawrence H. Kushi
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland
| | - Jason D. Pole
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alanna K. Rahm
- Center for Health Research, Genomic Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania
| | - Natasha K. Stout
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - R. Smith-Bindman
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
| |
Collapse
|