[Diagnostic imaging in acute pulmonary embolism in Denmark. A survey]

Acute pulmonary embolism is a frequently occurring disease that is associated with a high mortality rate. Accurate diagnosis is essential, but the condition is often misdiagnosed. National and international guidelines do not agree on which imaging modality is preferable for making the diagnosis. Our objective was to determine what the diagnostic method of choice in Denmark is.

We conducted a survey in 30 hospital departments in Denmark regarding the primary imaging procedure for patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. These departments represented various types of hospitals in all parts of Denmark but were otherwise randomly selected.

Twenty-seven departments responded. Approximately half of the departments used lung scintigraphy as the primary diagnostic test, one third used echocardiography and the rest used spiral computed tomography. This distribution was largely independent of the type of hospital and which modalities were available in a given hospital.

We found no coherence between the primary diagnostic modality of choice and other factors including hospital size, type and availability of diagnostic methods.