摘要INTRODUCTION Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a systemic and potentially lethal illness.It consists of two re lated clinical manifestations:Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT).[1,2] DVT of the lower extremities is believed to be the source of PTE in most patients,and the primary risk factor for recurrent PTE is the presence of residual proximal venous thrombosis.Postoperative PTE is more difficult to diagnose compared with a spontaneous PTE because clinical symptoms and signs suggestive of PTE can be explained by the effects of operations,such as incisional pain;hypovolemia;and atelectasis,or might be masked by analgesics,including epidural anesthetics.Thus,imaging studies play a critical role in establishing the diagnosis.