title: Clinical outcome of patients with a 'low probability' of pulmonary embolism on ventilation-perfusion lung scan.
abstract: Lung ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy is usually indicated when pulmonary embolism (PE) is a suspected diagnosis. Typically, V/Q scintigraphic interpretation is reported as a "normal," "low," "intermediate," or "high probability" of PE. Although a "low probability" interpretation does not exclude the diagnosis of PE, it significantly reduces the likelihood. We retrospectively analyzed up to one year of follow-up in 90 patients who were clinically suspected of having PE, but in whom V/Q scintigraphy implied a low probability of PE. None of the 90 patients demonstrated clinical evidence of PE subsequent to the V/Q scan. Our findings suggest that significant pulmonary embolism is uncommon and that the clinical course appears to be predictable in patients with a low probability V/Q scan.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bushnell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Perlman
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011336:Probability; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin