A Comparative Study of Pulmonary Artery Bifurcation Angle in Healthy Individuals and Patients with Acute and Chronic Pulmonary Embolism

Background : Recently, more studies have addressed the pulmonary artery bifurcation angle in CT angiography of lungs as a parameter in diagnosing pulmonary embolism. Objectives :The present study aimed to compare the pulmonary artery bifurcation angle in healthy individuals with patients with pulmonary embolism. Materials and Methods : This research was retrospective and case-control in type. The research population was patients visiting Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah (west of Iran) for CT angiography of lungs in the health records of 100 patients suspected of pulmonary embolism. After re-examination, the patients were divided into two groups: case (n=50) and control (n=50). Finally, the bifurcation angle of pulmonary artery in healthy individuals was compared and analyzed in SPSS 25. Results : As the results of independent-samples T -test showed, the minimum and maximum pulmonary artery bifurcation angle was 40 to 136 degrees (89.76 ± 25.869) in the control group and 41 to 144 degrees (91.66 ± 22.175) in the case group (P=0.694). As the main findings showed, the mean pulmonary artery bifurcation angle in the case group was slightly larger than the control group; however, this difference was not statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion : Although the mean pulmonary artery bifurcation angle in the case group was slightly larger than the control group, this difference was not statistically significant. Considering the contradictory finding with the only relevant study and the lack of further research to compare the results with and the importance of the topic, it is recommended that similar studies be conducted by specialists in other medical centers to obtain more definitive results.