Diagnosing Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism is difficult to diagnose because there are many medical conditions that cause similar symptoms. If you have had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or other blood clots which led to a heart attack or stroke from Yaz, your doctor will likely suspect pulmonary embolism if you are experiencing shortness of breath or chest pain.
When doctors suspect you have pulmonary embolism, there are many possible tests:
- Pulmonary angiogram is the most accurate test. It is invasive and uses dye and a camera on a catheter to take pictures of the arteries in the lungs.
- A chest X-ray.
- An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to rule out heart attack.
- A blood test for oxygen levels.
- A blood test for D-dimer, a substance released into the blood when a blood clot breaks up.
- Spiral (helical) computed tomography scan of the chest.
- Ventilation-perfusion scanning to test blood flow through the lungs.
- Computed tomography (CT) angiogram using dye and X-rays to look at the blood vessels in the lungs.
- Ultrasound of the lower body to detect deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
- Echocardiogram (echo) to test the function of the right ventricle of the heart.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for clots in the lower body and lungs.
Because the heart is sometimes put under stress with a pulmonary embolism, further tests can detect this complication. Blood tests can detect higher levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), which indicates heart stress, and the protein tronopin, which indicates heart muscle damage. Doctors will treat any issues with your heart while they treat the pulmonary embolism.
Are you concerned about pulmonary embolism because of having deep vein thrombosis from Yaz? Any symptoms should be immediately reported to your doctor, and you should seek immediate medical attention.
Source:
http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/pulmonary-embolism-exams-and-tests
