Subsegmental Pulmonary Embolism: A Narrative Review Publisher Pubmed



Peiman S^{1, 3} ; Abbasi M² ; Allameh SF³ ; Asadi Gharabaghi M¹ ; Abtahi H¹ ; Safavi E¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Thrombosis Research Published:2015

Abstract

Through the introduction of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for diagnosis of the pulmonary embolism (PE), the high sensitivity of this diagnostic tool led to detecting peripheral filling defects as small as 2-3 mm, termed as subsegmental pulmonary embolism (SSPE). However, despite these substantial increases in diagnosis of small pulmonary embolism, there are minimal changes in mortality. Moreover, SSPE patients generally are hemodynamically stable with mild clinical presentation, lower serum level of biomarkers, lower incidence of associated proximal DVTs and less frequent echocardiographic changes compared to the patients with emboli located in more central pulmonary arteries. However, the pros and cons of anticoagulant therapy versus non-treating, monitoring protocol and exact long term outcome of these patients are still unclear. In this article we review existing evidence and provide an overview of what is known about the diagnosis and management of subsegmental pulmonary embolism. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.