Can Pulmonary embolism (PE) occur without deep vein thrombosis (DVT)?

Though unlikely, it is very rare to primarily develop clot within the lung circulation. PE and DVT are often seen together as one process. If PE is diagnosed and no DVT can be identified, this either means that the entire clot has migrated up to the lungs or it resides somewhere else inside your body and it cannot be identified. Although most DVTs arise in the lower extremity, they can also occur in other parts of the body.