We report a case of pulmonary embolism that occurred at the 12th day after maxillectomy. A 72-year-old woman presented with a mass of the upper gingiva. It was diagnosed as a carcinoma of the upper gingiva, and partial maxillectomy with a skin graft was performed. At the 12th day after operation, chest pain suddenly occurred. We administered nitroglycerin for a suspected diagnosis of angina pectoris, but the symptoms persisted. Therefore, ultrasonic cardiography and cardiac catheter examination were performed. The diagnosis was pulmonary embolism. The patient received heparin sodium and urokinase as anticoagulant therapy and successfully recovered.
