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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Assessment of Right Ventricular Function in the Piglet
Published on: November 4, 2015
Diagnosis of right ventricular dysfunction in acute pulmonary embolism using helical computed tomography
Nicolas Mansencal1, Thierry Joseph, Antoine Vieillard-Baron
1Cardiology Department, Hôpital Universitaire Ambroise Paré, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Boulogne, France. nicolas.mansencal@apr.ap-hop-paris.fr <nicolas.mansencal@apr.ap-hop-paris.fr>
Abstract:
Forty-six consecutive patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) who underwent pulmonary angiography, helical computed tomography (CT), and echocardiography in the investigators' emergency department were studied. It was determined that the CT right ventricular (RV)/left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic area ratio was correlated with PE obstruction and echocardiography. A CT RV/LV area ratio >1 had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 88% in diagnosing significant PE. The present study suggests that helical CT may be used as a triage tool in acute PE for selecting high-risk patients, using calculation of the RV/LV area ratio to detect RV dysfunction.
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