[Surgical treatment of massive pulmonary embolism. Personal cases].

5 cases of pulmonary embolism are reported. 3 of these were subjected to pulmonary embolectomy with complete success; repeated controls bear witness to the good long-term cardiorespiratory condition. Two patients died, one following angiography, the other at anaesthetic induction; this fact shows the desirability of submitting patients to partial support extracorporeal circulation prior to angiography and, in any cases, before submitting them to anaesthesia. This surgical success obtained in treatment of the three cases shows that embolectomy continues to play a decisive role.