Helical Computed Tomography for Diagnosing Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Suman W. Rathbun
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Letters19 September 2000Helical Computed Tomography for Diagnosing Pulmonary EmbolismSuman W. Rathbun, MD, Gary E. Raskob, PhD, and Thomas L. Whitsett, MDSuman W. Rathbun, MDUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Oklahoma City, OK 73190 (Rathbun, Raskob, Whitsett)Search for more papers by this author, Gary E. Raskob, PhDUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Oklahoma City, OK 73190 (Rathbun, Raskob, Whitsett)Search for more papers by this author, and Thomas L. Whitsett, MDUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Oklahoma City, OK 73190 (Rathbun, Raskob, Whitsett)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-6-200009190-00026 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We stand by the conclusions of our systematic review: 1) The use of helical CT in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism has not been adequately evaluated; 2) the safety of withholding anticoagulant treatment in patients with negative results on helical CT is uncertain; and 3) definitive large, prospective studies should be done to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and safety of helical CT for diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolism. These conclusions are appropriate on the basis of the available evidence from studies in patients.The data quoted by Mayo and colleagues are from a study performed in animals (1). ...References2. Baile EM, King GG, Muller NL, D'Yachkova Y, Coche EE, Pare PD, Mayo JR. Spiral computed tomography is comparable to angiography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000;161:1010-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Stein PD, Athanasoulis C, Alavi A, Greenspan RH, Hales CA, Saltzman HA, et al . Complications and validity of pulmonary angiography in acute pulmonary embolism. Circulation. 1992;85:462-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Hull RD, Raskob GE, Coates G, Panju AA. Clinical validity of a normal perfusion lung scan in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. Chest. 1990;97:23-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Mullins MD, Becker DM, Hagspiel KD, Philbrick JT. The role of spiral volumetric computed tomography in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:293-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Oklahoma City, OK 73190 (Rathbun, Raskob, Whitsett) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSensitivity and Specificity of Helical Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism Suman W. Rathbun , Gary E. Raskob , and Thomas L. Whitsett Helical Computed Tomography for Diagnosing Pulmonary Embolism John R. Mayo , Elisabeth M. Baile , and Peter D. Pare Metrics 19 September 2000Volume 133, Issue 6Page: 484KeywordsAngiographyComputed axial tomographyLungsPatientsProspective studiesPulmonary embolismSafetySpecificitySystematic reviewsVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 19 September 2000 Issue Published: 19 September 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...