DIAGNOSTIC MODALITIES FOR DETECTION OF PULMONARY-EMBOLISM IN CLINICAL ROUTINE - A EUROPEAN SURVEY

A questionnaire asking for routinely performed modalities to diagnose deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) was sent to 2,500 departments in 23 European countries. Five-hundred-seventy (23%) were received back and evaluated according to hospital size and regional differences. Countries were grouped into: Anglo-Scandinavian (a), Germanspeaking (g), and Roman (r). Contrast venography is most frequently performed (94%) to diagnose DVT, independent of hospital size and without regional differences. With exception of Doppler ultrasound (71%), noninvasive DVT tests are rarely performed (6-28%). To diagnose PE, pulmonary angiography (PA) and ventilation-perfusion (V-P) scintigraphy are performed in 71%, digital subtraction angiography in only 50%. Frequencies of PE tests strongly depend on hospital size (PA: small hospitals 53-66%, large 83-89%; V-P: small hosp. >80%, large >90%, with 2 exceptions: small German hospitals = 48%, primarily performing only P-scans and large Roman hospitals = 59%, primarily performing PA). Regional differences were also significant (PA: r=85%, a=74%, g=63%, V-P: a=95%, r=66%, g=63%, respectively). © 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.