Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Interesting case of incidental diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by endobronchial ultrasonography

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the obstruction of the pulmonary artery or its branches, usually by a thrombus that originates in the lower extremity veins. PE is associated with high mortality risk. Here, we present the case of a patient who initially presented with dysphagia. Chest radiography revealed a lung nodule. Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) was performed to evaluate the nodule, which revealed a pulmonary embolus. Subsequently, CT angiography of the chest was performed to confirm the diagnosis of PE. Anticoagulation therapy was initiated. The biopsy results were positive for lung adenocarcinoma. There are only few reported cases of PE diagnosed using EBUS. Here, the patient had not presented with the signs and symptoms of PE. Had PE not been diagnosed by EBUS, our patient could have potentially had a disastrous outcome. Moreover, this case shows that EBUS may be used for diagnosing PE.

  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Respiratory medicine
  • Lung cancer (oncology)
  • Ultrasonography

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.