Ultrasound-Assisted Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in High-Risk and Intermediate-High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: Results From a Single-Center Cohort

We present our single-center results on ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis (USAT) in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) at intermediate high risk (IHR) and high risk (HR). Our study consisted of 75 patients with PE who underwent USAT (60 at IHR and 15 at HR). The median time delay from symptoms to USAT was 5 days. Ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis resulted in improvements in tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion; pulmonary artery (PA) systolic and mean pressures; Qanadli score; right to left ventricle diameter ratio and right to left atrial diameter ratio; and diameters of main, right, and left PA regardless of the baseline risk status ( P < .0001 for all). Death was documented in 4 patients, and major and minor bleeding were noted in 2 and 5 of the patients, respectively. No PE-related event was noted during postdischarge follow-up period of median 310 days. Our study revealed that USAT facilitates the resolution of PA thrombotic burden, recovery of pulmonary hemodynamics, and right heart functions with acceptable rates of procedure-related complications in patients with PE, irrespective of the IHR or HR status.