CT of hemorrhagic complications of anticoagulant therapy.

Anticoagulant therapy is commonly used in patients at risk for, or known to have, thromboembolic disease. Although complications of therapy are uncommon in most patients, in others it may result in complications with substantial morbidity and occasionally may be life threatening. This essay reviews the role of anticoagulant therapy and defines the potential complications that may occur in the chest, abdomen, musculoskeletal system, and CNS. Specific pitfalls in diagnosis as well as complications of the bleeding process are discussed and illustrated. The role of CT scanning in the diagnosis and triage of these patients is clearly defined through select cases and clinical dilemmas.