Ultrasonography of Leg Veins in Patients Suspected of Having Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Franktien Turkstra
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1998)

Letters1 February 1998Ultrasonography of Leg Veins in Patients Suspected of Having Pulmonary EmbolismFranktien Turkstra, MD, Edwin J.R. van Beek, MD, and Harry R. Buller, MDFranktien Turkstra, MDAcademic Medical Center; Amsterdam, the NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this author, Edwin J.R. van Beek, MDAcademic Medical Center; Amsterdam, the NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this author, and Harry R. Buller, MDAcademic Medical Center; Amsterdam, the NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-128-3-199802010-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Although our study was carefully executed, the above letters question our finding that in patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism, compression ultrasonography has a false-positive rate for deep venous thrombosis of 13% to 26%.Drs. Perrier and Bounameaux mention that the specificities of ultrasonography and lung scanning are the same and that the number of inappropriately treated patients would therefore not differ. Our theoretical population was intended to clarify the point that although the specificity for ultrasonography was 97%, the positive predictive value of an abnormal ultrasonography result is only 74% when the lung scan is nondiagnostic. This ...References1. van Beek EJ, Kuyer PM, Schenk BE, Brandjes DP, ten Cate JW, Buller HR. A normal perfusion lung scan in patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism. Frequency and clinical validity. Chest. 1995; 108:170-3. Google Scholar2. van Beek EJ, Reekers JA, Batchelor DA, Brandjes DP, Buller HR. Feasibility, safety and clinical utility of angiography in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism and non-diagnostic lung scan findings. Eur Radiol. 1996; 6:415-9. Google Scholar3. Lensing AW, Hirsh J, Buller HR. Diagnosis of venous thrombosis. In: Coleman RW, Hirsh J, Marder VJ, Salzman EW, eds. Hemostasis and Thrombosis: Basic Principles and Clinical Practice. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott; 1994:1297-321. Google Scholar4. Value of the ventilation/perfusion scan in acute pulmonary embolism. Results of the prospective investigation of pulmonary embolism diagnosis (PIOPED). The PIOPED Investigators. JAMA. 1990; 263:2753-9. Google Scholar5. Stein PD, Hull RD, Pineo G. Strategy that includes serial noninvasive leg tests for diagnosis of thromboembolic disease in patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism based on data from PIOPED. Arch Intern Med. 1995; 155:2101-4. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Academic Medical Center; Amsterdam, the Netherlands PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 February 1998Volume 128, Issue 3Page: 244-245KeywordsDeep vein thrombosisInpatientsLungsOutpatientsPositive predictive valuePulmonary embolismSpecificityUltrasound imagingVeinsVenous thromboembolism Issue Published: 1 February 1998 CopyrightCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...