Pulmonary embolism diagnosis

To confirm pulmonary embolism diagnosis, usually a CT scan is performed, since the symptoms are similar to other diseases

Shortness of breath and chest pain are two common symptoms of many diseases, such as pneumonia, heart failure, or myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism is only one of them. To enable us to diagnose PE, we first need to see the clinical results and scans.

Pneumonia, heart failure or myocardial infarction, among others, also cause pain and dyspnoea. In order to diagnose pulmonary embolism (PE), we rely on clinical suspicion and certain tests.

First, other conditions that can cause shortness of breath and pain in the chest must be ruled out.

It is also important to know if the patient has suffered from any condition predisposing the occurrence of venous thrombosis (pulmonary embolism), which we call risk factors.

When we suspect pulmonary embolism, we usually request a CT (scan) of the chest or a lung scan. These are painless tests that can only be done in a hospital.

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