Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Accuracy of point-of-care multiorgan ultrasonography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.
Presenting signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism (PE) are nonspecific, favoring a large use of second-line diagnostic tests such as multidetector CT pulmonary angiography (MCTPA), thus exposing patients to high-dose radiation and to potential serious complications. We investigated the diagnostic performance of multiorgan ultrasonography (lung, heart, and leg vein ultrasonography) and whether multiorgan ultrasonography combined to Wells score and D-dimer could safely reduce MCTPA tests. ⋯ Multiorgan ultrasonography is more sensitive than single-organ ultrasonography, increases the accuracy of clinical pretest probability estimation in patients with suspected PE, and may safely reduce the MCTPA burden.