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. 2012 Dec;13(6):479-83.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2012.4.6894.

Persistent hiccups as a rare presenting symptom of pulmonary embolism

Getaw Worku Hassen  1 , Mona Milkha Singh, Hossein Kalantari, Selamawit Yemane-Merriwether, Steven Ferrante, Ronald Shaw
Affiliations

Persistent hiccups as a rare presenting symptom of pulmonary embolism

Getaw Worku Hassen et al. West J Emerg Med. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition that may present as dyspnea, chest pain, cough or hemoptysis, but often occurs without symptoms. It is not typically associated with hiccups. Hiccups are generally self-limiting benign contractions of the diaphragm that may be associated with medications or food but may also be symptomatic of serious disease when persistent. We report 3 cases of PE presenting as persistent hiccups.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Chest radiograph demonstrating a prominent central pulmonary artery (early Fleishner’s Sign, red arrows) and a cut-off of the pulmonary arteries bilaterally (Westermark sign, black arrows).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A. Computed tomography (CT) showing a saddle embolus (black arrow). B. CT showing a large left pulmonary artery embolus (filling defect, red arrow). C. CT showing a left pulmonary artery embolus (filling defect, red arrows).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
An electrocardiogram showing S1Q3T3 pattern indicating the likelihood for the presence of PE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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