Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) may interact with the cellular components and protein co-factors of fibrinolysis. To evaluate the effect of Lp(a) in thromboembolic diseases of the venous system, we measured serum levels and the isoform distribution of apo(a) in 25 patients with pulmonary embolism (18 men, 7 women, aged 21-77 years). The control group was adjusted for sex and age (P = 0.189). Serum Lp(a) concentration was significantly higher in the study group (median: 9.3 vs. 4.3 mg dL-1). As the distribution of high and low molecular weight subtypes of apo(a) did not show any differences (P = 0.127) between the two groups, the elevated Lp(a) levels in patients with pulmonary embolism could not be attributed to the investigated kringle-4 polymorphism of the apo(a) gene and therefore other genetic or non-genetic implications are indicated.