Imaging of Thromboembolic Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension
摘要
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a term referring to a common clinical condition in the elderly patients including both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE). Clinical symptoms of VTE are often vague and nonspecific, and the elderly patient tends to ignore them, a condition that leads to an increase in unrecognized and therefore untreated cases. This chapter describes diagnostic imaging techniques, such as chest X-ray, lung scintigraphy, ultrasonography, computed tomography, and its recent and promising technological innovations supporting diagnosis of PE. Since comorbidities are frequent in the elderly patient, two specific forms of PE will be described: PE in acute COPD exacerbation and tumor embolism. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a hemodynamic and pathophysiological state associated with multiple clinical conditions. Radiological findings, in particular computed tomography signs, are discussed. Furthermore, most common forms of PH in the elderly will be discussed: PH associated with connective tissue disease, PH due to lung diseases, and/or hypoxia and PH secondary to left heart disease.