Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) presents a blockage of the pulmonary artery (PA) by material (ie: thrombus, air, fat, amniotic fluid, tumour, or foreign body) that originated elsewhere. PE may range from small emboli discovered incidentally to massive emboli causing immediate hemodynamic instability. In this book, the authors discuss the causes, symptoms and treatment for pulmonary embolism. Topics include parenteral anticoagulant therapy; incidence and predictors in acute intraoperative pulmonary thromboembolism; surgical management of PE; technical and clinical aspects of MRI for pulmonary embolism; and radiological imaging with cement as a causative factor in PE.