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The purpose of this study was to evaluate results from computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) indicative of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), and to assess the relationship of these results with cardiac biomarkers and mortality among patients with acute PE. This retrospective study involved 118 patients with acute PE proved by CTPA. CTPA variables were analyzed and compared with cardiac biomarkers and echocardiography (ECHO) findings. Compared with ECHO, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CTPA for detection of RVD were 85.7, 91.7, 93.7, and 81.5 %, respectively. ROC curve analysis for prediction of RVD resulted in areas under the curve of 0.925 for RV dimension (95 % CI 0.879−0.971, p

Absence of the pericardium can vary from partial to complete absence. Patients with complete absence of the pericardium are either asymptomatic or have nonspecific chest pain, and no treatment is needed. Patients with partial absence of the pericardium are at risk for possible symptomatic herniation of the left atrial appendage or left ventricle, leading to fatal myocardial strangulation. Therefore, it is very important to differentiate partial from complete absence of the pericardium. A 7-year-old girl presented with isolated congenital absence of the pericardium, which generally has a good prognosis. It is a relatively asymptomatic anomaly that usually requires no treatment. Some cases involve complications that require operative treatment. Absence of the pericardium can be precisely defined by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.