BMJ  2005;331 (30 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7511.0

Diagnose or rule out pulmonary embolism with confidence

Pulmonary angiography is the only method that can confirm or rule out pulmonary embolism. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic studies that included 11 004 patients, Roy and colleagues (p 259) analysed 48 studies that evaluated diagnostic tests for confirming or excluding pulmonary embolism. They present pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios for strategies used to confirm or exclude pulmonary embolism, and then relate them to clinical probability. In addition they discuss clinical implications of the tests: lung scans, spiral computed tomography, leg vein ultrasonography, echocardiography, magnetic resonance angiography, and D-dimer tests.

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies for the diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolism

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