[Spiral CT in pulmonary embolism].

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality that can occur in many clinical situations. For several years, spiral CT has represented a relatively non invasive modality for diagnosing this common disease. The present article is reviewing the CT features of acute and chronic pulmonary embolism, the technical aspects of spiral CT acquisition, the diagnostic accuracy and major limitations and pitfalls of the technique.