Diagnosis of Massive Pulmonary Embolism in Man by Radioisotope Scanning

THE diagnosis of massive pulmonary embolism is frequently difficult and always uncertain, primarily because the symptoms and signs may mimic those of some other diseases, such as myocardial infarction or pneumonia. Ancillary examinations, including x-ray study of the chest and electrocardiography, are rarely definitive. The diagnosis can be suspected when sudden dyspnea, pleural pain, hemoptysis, syncope or a bloody pleural effusion occurs in patients who are predisposed to pulmonary embolism — that is, those who are suffering from congestive heart failure or polycythemia, or who are bedridden, as during the postoperative or postpartum state.A high degree of suspicion is . . .