Utilidad de la angiografía pulmonar por tomografía computarizada en las salas de emergencia de un hospital nacional de EsSalud.

Objective: To determine the utility of pulmonary angiography by spiral CT scan in an emergency room of a national hospital of EsSalud. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried-out among 77 patients who attended the emergency room in whom a pulmonary angiography by CT scan was performed. Data were collected using a pre designed form. Results: 64.9% were elder; 63.6% were males and only 31.2% had a presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Only 29.9% had pathological findings, 65.2% had pulmonary embolism, the remaining had pulmonary hypertension. Among those with specific diagnostic presumptions 50% of the exams were normal, while 79.2% had normal findings among those with non-specific presumptive diagnosis (p=0.019 with corrected Chisquare test and p=0.014 with Fischer´s exact test). Conclusions: Pulmonary angiography by spiral CT scan allows to get pathological findings in patients with presumptive diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]