| pubmed-article:1854128 | pubmed:abstractText | To evaluate the presence of asymptomatic pulmonary emboli, a prospective study was conducted in 21 patients with radiologically confirmed phlebitis. Systematic screening by means of radioisotope perfusion lung scanning revealed 8 pulmonary emboli (38%), 6 of which were confirmed by pulmonary angiography (28% using this criterion). In 3 of these patients, the cutoff affected more than 60% of the lung. All the patients remained asymptomatic throughout the study. It is our opinion that the presence of a latent pulmonary embolus should modify the therapeutic approach. In addition to screening for asymptomatic pulmonary emboli, systematic radioisotope perfusion scanning will enable the compilation of a reference document useful in the interpretation of clinical events arising during treatment. | lld:pubmed |
