J Korean Knee Soc.  2003 Dec;15(2):190-194.

Fatal Pulmonary Embolism after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A case Report

• Kim WY
• Ji JH
• Kim JY
• Lee JH

Abstract

Thromboembolic disease is particularly a problem in lower extremity joint arthroplasty secondary to the development of deep vein thrombosis and proximal propagation of the thrombus. A fatal pulmonary embolism is one of the catastrophic complications of the total knee arthroplasty. However, it is easy to neglect its importance because of its relatively lower rate of incidence in asian people and subclinical symptoms in most cases. We report a case of fatal pulmonary embolism after bilateral total knee arthroplasty which was confirmed by spiral computed tomography.

Keyword

Pulmonary embolism; Total knee arthroplasty; Spiral computed tomography

MeSH Terms

Incidence