Radiologic evaluation of the patient with suspected pulmonary thromboembolic disease.

The risks of anticoagulant and surgical therapy for pulmonary thromboembolic disease make a high degree of diagnostic certainty imperative. The pitfalls inherent in basing the diagnosis on clinical and laboratory information are discussed, and the radiologic and isotopic studies available to the clinician are presented, with special emphasis on their sensitivity and specificity and guidelines for their intelligent use.