Minerva cardioangiologica
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Minerva cardioangiologica · Nov 1995
Case Reports[Pulmonary thromboembolism. A clinical case with unusual presentation].
The authors describe a rare case of pulmonary thromboembolism with unusual clinical findings and emphasized the large difficulty encountered in formuling a correct diagnosis in a reasonable time. A man, 60 years old, was admitted to a Medical Division of our hospital for the appearance of chest pain and epigastric pain during effort in the last year. He smoked 20 cigarettes a day and drank wine (1 or 2 litres a day). ⋯ Also after the coronary arteriography that showed normal coronary artery, the erroneous diagnosis persisted. Pulmonary embolism was correctly diagnosed too late to begin an effective therapy. These unusual clinical findings and diagnostic mistakes are stressed and critically reviewed in the article.