Radiology Coding Alert

What is a pulmonary embolism?

Pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in the lung that usually comes from smaller vessels in the leg, pelvis, arms, or heart. The clot travels upward through the vessels of the lung continuing to reach smaller vessels until it gets trapped in a vessel that is too small to allow it to continue farther. The block prevents any further blood from traveling to that section of the lung.

Diagnosis: To diagnose or rule out this condition, the physician would usually order a ventilation/perfusion study.

However, before coding for pulmonary embolism, you will have to familiarize yourself with a new term:

Cor pulmonale: Abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart as a result of disease of the lungs or the pulmonary blood vessels.

Note: The presence or absence of the added complication of cor pulmonale, virtually decides the direction your coding goes in deciding the final code.