Pulmonary embolism is a frequent and often undiagnosed cause of increased mortality. Only in the United States of America pulmonary embolism is considered as the main cause of more than 150.000 deaths every year. The clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is unreliable because the patients’ symptoms and signs are usually nonspecific. The use of computed tomography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was first described in 1980 but a definite diagnosis was usually limited to large central artery branches. Spiral computed tomography and the new protocols have established a very important diagnostic technique for suspected pulmonary embolism. The aim of this paper is to show the direct and indirect spiral computed tomography findings of pulmonary embolism, computed tomography protocols that we use in our hospital, and to present clinical and CT findings of 12 cases with suspected pulmonary embolism. Pneumon 2004, 17(1):45-54.