Recent advances in the diagnosis and lytic therapy of pulmonary embolism

During the past year, there have been 2 major advances in the management of pulmonary embolism (PE). First, the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) investigators published the results of their comparison of ventilation-perfusion lung scanning and pulmonary angiography. This multimillion-dollar trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute indicated that lung scanning is surprisingly insensitive to the diagnosis of PE. High-probability lung scanning detects fewer than half of the cases of PE that are found at pulmonary angiography. The PIOPED results force us to conclude that increased utilization of both ultrasonography of the deep leg veins and pulmonary angiography is warranted in order to detect the majority of cases of venous thromboembolism. Second, in June 1990, the Food and Drug Administration approved recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for use in the treatment of acute PE. The dosing regimen is 100 mg of rt-PA as a continuous peripheral intravenous infusion administered over 2 h. The convenience, rapid effect, and relative safety of this therapeutic approach may result in increased use of thrombolysis for management of PE.