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Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring rapid diagnosis and management. While computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the gold standard for diagnosis, its overuse raises concerns about radiation exposure and healthcare costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of serum adropin (ADR) levels in patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute PE.
Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study included 120 patients who underwent CTPA due to suspected PE. Serum ADR levels were measured using ELISA. Patients were stratified by Wells score into low, moderate, and high-risk groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ADR for predicting PE.
Results: Of the 120 patients, 40% had confirmed PE (n = 48) of patients. Median ADR levels were lower in patients with PE than in those without PTE (419, IQR: 270 - 512 vs. 481.6, IQR: 375 - 606, respectively; p = 0.03). This was also true for patients with chronic disease when compared to patients without chronic disease (413, IQR: 264 - 534 vs. 500, IQR: 433 - 685, respectively; p = 0.01). ROC analysis revealed an AUC value of 0.612 (95% CI: 0.510 - 0.714; p = 0.032) for ADR in diagnosing PE.
Conclusions: While ADR alone is insufficient as a primary diagnostic tool for PE, it may serve as a complementary biomarker particularly in D-dimer positive patients with low clinical probability at specific cutoff values. However, prospective studies are warranted to validate this approach.
DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2025.251024
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