Retrograde pulmonary embolectomy in massive pulmonary embolism.

The purpose of this study was introduction and evaluation of efficacy and safety of retrograde thromboembolectomy in acute massive pulmonary emboli. The method is described in a 56-year-old woman with acute massive pulmonary thromboemboli. Postoperative course was uneventful. The described surgical technique is not a panacea and definitely not the whole answer, but is a big part of the solution and may be accompanied with less adverse effects. Additionally, there is a need of being reviewed further in large experimental studies and measurements before it could be used safely as a new technique.