[Anatomo-clinical correlations in pulmonary thromboembolism (observations on 258 cases)].

Abstract

The authors studied 258 cases of deaths due to lung thromboembolization, totalling 13% of the necropsies. The patients' age ranged within 17-89 years, with the highest frequency between 70 and 75 years. The female sex was prevalent (56% of cases). According to the magnitude of the vessel occluded, the thromboembolisms were divided into: massive (35%), medium (50%) and small (15%). The lung infarctions were present in 42% of the cases investigated. The formation site of the thrombi was exactly established in 24% of the cases; the right side of the heart, the lung, the deep veins of the shank, periprostatic venous plexus, vena cava inferior, iliac veins. The lung thromboembolization was favoured by the cardiovascular affections (38.5%), neurologic affections (27%), malignant tumours (11.5%), postsurgery status (9%), lung diseases (9%), coma (3.5%), prostate affections (1.5%). The clinical diagnosis was established in 22% of cases. In the rest of them, thromboembolization was hidden or simulated by the coexisting affection.