Management of the Incidental Pulmonary Embolism.

OBJECTIVE: The incidental pulmonary embolism (PE) is being identified at an increasing rate because of use of MDCT and presents a management challenge because of a lack of prospective data. Most clinicians treat patients with proximal or segmental incidental PE in the same manner as patients with suspected PE.

CONCLUSION: The treatment of subsegmental PE may be guided by an assessment of patient symptoms, risk factors for recurrent venous thrombosis, and concomitant deep venous thrombosis.