Hemithorax Westermark Sign Secondary to Complete Pulmonary Artery Occlusion from Pulmonary Embolus

Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2021 May;5(2):261-262. doi: 10.5811/cpcem.2021.2.51043.

Abstract

Case presentation: We describe a complete right hemithorax Westermark sign found in a patient with a near-complete, right pulmonary artery trunk occlusion secondary to a pulmonary embolus.

Discussion: We review the sensitivity and specificity of a Westermark sign in the identification of a pulmonary embolism, and how this aided us in managing our patient in the emergency department.