Pulmonary Infarction

Excerpt

Pulmonary infarction (PI) is the result of an occlusion of a distal pulmonary artery. This then results in ischemia and possible hemorrhage or tissue necrosis of the pulmonary tissue distal to the occlusion. PI itself, is caused by another primary disease state, most commonly pulmonary embolism (PE). Understanding the broad differential diagnosis associated with PI is important, as associated signs and symptoms have limited specificity and PI may be the first indication of significant underlying pathology.