Prediction of pulmonary embolism in the pneumology departments: Clinical prediction rules

Background: Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) requires clinical probability assessment. In recent years, a great number of clinical prediction rules have been issued. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Geneva and the Revised Geneva score in PE diagnosis in pulmonary departments. Patients and methods: A retrospective study of 53 consecutive patients admitted for clinically suspected PE. We evaluated the clinical probability of PE for all patients for whom a CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was performing. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (G1: n = 25) with no confirmed PE, the second group (G2: n = 28) with confirmed PE. Results: When another variable was associated such as COPD (2 points) in the Revised Geneva score, the score became moderate in 66,7% and high in 25,9% both in G2. Conclusion: In pulmonary practice, a scoring system with other variables as if COPD, lung cancer, should be introduced and would help safety excluded PE. A prospective study is necessary.