Transthoracic echocardiographic diagnosis of proximal pulmonary embolism

Summary 

Notwithstanding transthoracic echocardiography (TEE) is an excellent technique for detecting acute right ventricular overload, it can rarely visualise thrombi inside right cardiac cavities and even more exceptionally inside pulmonary arteries. We report the original case of a 48-year-old man referred to our department for a severe recent onset dyspnoea, and in whom bedside transthoracic echocardiography diagnosed acute pulmonary embolism (PE) as it showed inside the pulmonary trunk a highly mobile serpentine 5cm-long thrombus floating towards the left pulmonary artery. Patient was treated conventionally with favourable clinical and echocardiographic results.

Keywords: Pulmonary embolism, Thrombus, Transthoracic echocardiography, Diagnosis