One-shot diagnostic and prognostic assessment in intermediate- to high-risk acute pulmonary embolism: The role of multidetector computed tomography

Contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is useful for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). However, current guidelines do not support its use for risk assessment in acute PE patients. We compared the prognostic impact of MDCT-derived indices regarding medium-term mortality in a population of intermediate- to high-risk PE patients, mostly treated by thrombolysis. Thirty-nine consecutive patients admitted to an intensive care unit with acute PE were studied. All patients had a pulmonary MDCT on admission to the emergency room as part of the diagnostic algorithm. We assessed the following MDCT variables: right ventricular/left ventricular diameter (RV/LV) ratio, arterial obstruction index, pulmonary artery-to-aorta diameter ratio and azygos vein diameter. A 33-month follow-up was performed. Mean age was 59.1±19.6 years, with 80% of patients receiving thrombolysis. Follow-up all-cause mortality was 12.8%. Of the MDCT-derived variables, only the RV/LV ratio had significant predictive value, being higher in patients who suffered the endpoint (1.6±0.5 vs. 1.9±0.4, p=0.046). Patients with an RV/LV ratio ≥1.8 had 11-fold higher medium-term all-cause mortality (3.8% vs. 38.8%, p