The degree of arterial obstruction in pulmonary embolism may be quantified by a specific CT index that appears reproducible and highly correlated to the previously described index with pulmonary angiography. Further evaluations are needed to investigate the usefulness of the CT obstruction index for stratification of patient risk and determining therapeutic options.

Dual-section helical CT is an improvement in helical CT that offers a high sensitivity and specificity for the depiction of PE, including at the subsegmental level. Dual-section helical CT can replace pulmonary arteriography for the direct demonstration of PE in a majority of patients.

We report two cases of large spontaneous psoas haematoma in patients on anticoagulant therapy. Active bleeding was well demonstrated on spiral CT. Transcatheter arterial embolization was used successfully to stop bleeding. The diagnostic strategy, the relevance of spiral computed tomography and our therapeutic approach to this complication are discussed.