The relationship between pulmonary artery obstruction index and troponin in thorax computed tomography in pulmonary embolism

Abstract

Aim: To study the relation between troponin and pulmonary artery obstruction index in thoracic computerized tomography in patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism. Material and Method: Data obtained from patients hospitalized in the ward and intensive care units with a pulmonary embolism diagnosis between January 2016 and February 2022 were scanned retrospectively. The full blood count, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, troponin I, thoracic computerized tomography (CT), angiography, and bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasonography data were extracted. Patients with left heart failure, renal failure, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, sepsis, respiratory system disease, burns, ischemic stroke, or subarachnoid hemorrhage were excluded. The obstruction indices were calculated according to storage defects in the main, right, left, lobar, and segmental pulmonary artery branches in CT angiography. Results: While 57.0% of the 69 patients included in the study were female, 42.1% were male. The obstruction index in the high troponin-I group was significantly higher than that in the normal troponin-I group (p=0.006). In addition, the obstruction index was significantly higher in patients with bilateral pulmonary embolism than in those with unilateral pulmonary embolism (<0.001). While there was a positive correlation between obstruction index and D-dimer (r=0.310 p=0.041), a significant negative correlation was found with the CRP value (r=-0.268 p=0.042). When the clinical and laboratory data of the patients with normal and high level troponin were examined, the ratios of patients in the ICU and with bilateral embolism were significantly higher in the high troponin group and the CRP value was significantly lower (p=0.004, 0.027, 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: The pulmonary artery obstruction index shows thrombus load and is a parameter related to troponin.

Keywords

• Pulmonary embolism
• obstruction index
• troponin I

Supporting Institution

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Project Number

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