[The diagnostic and the exclusion scores for pulmonary embolism]

Several clinical scores for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) have been published. The most popular ones are the Wells score and the revised Geneva score; simplified versions exist for these two scores; they have been validated. Both scores have common properties, but there is a major difference for the Wells score, namely the inclusion of a feature based on clinical judgment. These two scores in combination with D-dimers measurement have been used to rule out PE. An important improvement in this process has recently taken place with the use of an adjustable, age-dependent threshold for DD for patients over 50 years.