Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia complicated with pulmonary embolism: a systematic analysis of published case reports

Objective: To analyze the clinical manifestations, laboratory values and treatment process of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) complicated with pulmonary embolism (PE) and provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and management. Methods: We searched the electronic databases systematically to retrieve the relevant literatures. Results: A total of 17 articles about MPP complicated with PE were involved in our study. Most of cases had dyspnea, cough and fever. D-dimer examination was all positive. Ten were diagnosed by computed tomographic angiography. Seven of them occurred in bilateral pulmonary arteries; five cases occurred in right pulmonary artery, two cases occurred in left pulmonary artery and one case occurred in pulmonary vein. Five patients were treated with methylprednisolone and fifteen patients had anticoagulant therapy. Conclusion: PE should be ruled out in patients with MPP if the symptoms are aggravated after MPP treatment.