Echocardiography in acute pulmonary embolism – what do we have?

Abstract

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) related mortality worldwide is decreasing due to current therapeutic advances. However, PE remains the third leading cause of death in developed countries and its incidence is increasing. Timely diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic measures are extremely important in clinical practice. Echocardiography (EchoCG) remains a preferred imaging technique at the bedside for both primary diagnosis and individual patient risk determination, and provides invaluable information regarding general hemodynamics in emergency situations. The development of the methodology in recent years adds new parameters to the classic image of the patient with PE. In this review, modern approaches for risk stratification of patients with PE by means of echocardiography and the role of echocardiography in the diagnosis of the disease are considered.