Pulmonary embolism differential diagnosis

Associate Editors-in-Chief: Ujjwal Rastogi, MBBS [mailto:urastogi@perfuse.org]

Overview
Part of what makes the diagnosis of PE difficult is that the differential diagnosis of the clinical presentation of PE is extensive including a long list of conditions causing chest pain. Whats more, PE can accompany any of the above diagnoses.

Differential Diagnosis

 * Acute Coronary Syndrome
 * Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Anemia
 * Angina pectoris
 * Anxiety Disorders
 * Aortic stenosis
 * Arteriovenous Malformation
 * Atrial fibrillation (diagnosis and management)
 * Bacterial pneumonia
 * Cardiogenic shock
 * Cardiac Tamponade
 * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
 * Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Edema
 * Community acquired pneumonia
 * Cor pulmonale
 * Costochondritis
 * Dilated Cardiomyopathy
 * Distributive shock
 * Emphysema
 * Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis
 * Fat Embolism
 * Hemorrhagic shock
 * Herpes zoster
 * Hyperventilation
 * Mitral stenosis
 * Musculoskeletal pain
 * Myocardial infarction
 * Myocardial ischemia
 * Myocarditis
 * Noncardiogenic Pulmonary Edema
 * Pericarditis
 * Pleuritis
 * Pneumothorax
 * Pulmonary Hypertension, Primary
 * Pulmonary Hypertension, Secondary
 * Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
 * Rib fracture
 * Salicylate intoxication
 * Septic shock
 * Sudden cardiac death
 * Superior Vena Cava Syndrome
 * Syncope
 * Toxic shock syndrome
 * Viral pneumonia