Nonthrombotic pulmonary embolism: a radiological perspective.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Nonthrombotic pulmonary embolism (NTPE) is a rare but serious condition.
• It can be caused by various agents, including fat, air, cement, and tumor.
• Radiologists play a crucial role in diagnosing NTPE, often encountering it incidentally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the clinical settings, symptoms, and imaging findings of NTPE.
• To illustrate the imaging features of NTPE based on the inciting agent, with a focus on computed tomography (CT).
• To emphasize the importance of clinical suspicion and radiological knowledge for diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Review of relevant literature and case studies.
• Illustration of imaging features using computed tomography (CT) scans.
• Correlation of imaging findings with specific inciting agents.

Main Results:

• NTPE presents with diverse clinical scenarios and symptoms.
• CT is the primary imaging modality for evaluating NTPE.
• Imaging findings vary depending on the embolic material (e.g., fat embolism, air embolism, cement embolism, tumor embolism).

Conclusions:

• Accurate diagnosis of NTPE requires a high index of clinical suspicion.
• Familiarity with the characteristic radiological findings associated with different inciting agents is essential.
• Radiologists must be aware of the potential pitfalls and mimics of NTPE on imaging.