ISSN:
1432-1084
Keywords:
Angiography, digital subtraction
;
Lung, radionuclide imaging
;
Pulmonary embolism
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Patients with symptoms of acute pulmonary thromboembolism (APE) of short duration were investigated with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and ventilation/perfusion lung scintigraphy (V/Q scan), and a standardised clinical evaluation was performed. Forty-six angiograms (96%) were diagnostic at the segmental level and were used as reference. In all V/Q scans classified as normal or of high probability for APE, a complete agreement with DSA was found. In scan categories with low or intermediate probability, where the incidence of APE was 32%, there was considerable inter-observer disagreement. Clinical assessment alone was of limited value, but in patients with low clinical suspicion no APE was found. The results indicate that normal and high probability V/Q scans are very reliable for excluding and identifying APE, respectively, but also that fairly large APE cannot be diagnosed with lung scanning. Subdivision of V/Q scans into more than three categories (normal, high probability and inconclusive) seems to be of no practical value. Using a pulsed sequence technique, high frame rate and central injection, DSA is a valuable clinical tool for diagnosing APE down to the segmental level.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00184957
Permalink
