High-risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism can benefit from targeted ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed therapy, as demonstrated by a large international clinical study under the scientific leadership of the University Medical Center Mainz. The researchers investigated the efficacy of a minimally invasive procedure in which a thrombolytic (blood clot-dissolving) drug is administered directly into the pulmonary arteries via a special catheter while the clot is simultaneously treated with ultrasound energy. Compared to the previous standard therapy using blood-thinning medications only, mortality or life-threatening circulatory collapse was 61 percent lower.