The diagnosis of a pulmonary artery thrombus by transesophageal echocardiography.

We describe a patient with an acute inferior wall myocardial infarction who underwent percutaneous coronary angioplasty. He subsequently had a cardiac arrest and developed progressive severe hypoxia. Although findings from pulmonary angiography were nondiagnostic, transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a nonocclusive, right pulmonary artery thrombus. Therapy was changed, and the patient recovered. Transesophageal echocardiography was also used to monitor anticoagulation therapy.