Pregnant 8 weeks. angina like pain & dyspnea for 5 weeks. went to er, ekg ok, all ok, ddimer at 3712. leg us normal. offered chest ct. concerned reg radiation and contrast agent, uncertain if lung clot likely given atypical presentation. risks?

Any condition which involves a breakdown of clots, with resultant fibrin release will cause a potentially elevated "D-dimer". An elevated D-dimer is found as an indicator of embolus (clot) formation, and to rule out a pulmonary embolus, a scintillation scan is usually performed. A cardiologist should be consulted along with a maternal/fetal medicine physician to follow your pregnancy closely.

Symptoms associated with a positive D-dimer test merit an urgent EMERGENCY evaluation by a team including an emergency specialist, an obstetrician experienced with thrombotic diseases, a cardiovascular doc, a pulmonolgist and a hematologist. A university-affiliated center would routinely have these specialists working together in the care of patients with pulmonary embolism during early pregnancy