[oldalum]

A differential diagnosis that consists of "more likely a pulmonary embolism" isn't a differential.
BC

Sorry I guess my point was not clear, my bad. I did not mean to suggest that a single potential diagnosis is a differential. Your post said that you wouldn't speculate and then you provided a nice differential that was also entirely speculative (i.e., based on almost no evidence). I was simply supporting your speculations by saying that constructing differentials is a fundamental part of medicine and can be fun, especially in the art of long-distance diagnosis based on almost no information whatsoever (I once managed to correctly predict multiple sclerosis in one of the American hostages in Iran during the Carter presidency, when the Iranian doctors were stumped). In this case I do think PE is the most likely diagnosis (based on almost no information), but we shall see.

[oldalum]

A differential diagnosis that consists of "more likely a pulmonary embolism" isn't a differential.
BC

Sorry I guess my point was not clear, my bad. I did not mean to suggest that a single potential diagnosis is a differential. Your post said that you wouldn't speculate and then you provided a nice differential that was also entirely speculative (i.e., based on almost no evidence). I was simply supporting your speculations by saying that constructing differentials is a fundamental part of medicine and can be fun, especially in the art of long-distance diagnosis based on almost no information whatsoever (I once managed to correctly predict multiple sclerosis in one of the American hostages in Iran during the Carter presidency, when the Iranian doctors were stumped). In this case I do think PE is the most likely diagnosis (based on almost no information), but we shall see.