title: Ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy in the PIOPED study. Part I. Data collection and tabulation.
abstract: The Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) study of more than 700 patients is the largest existing study of the accuracy of lung scintigraphy in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism. Perfusion scans were obtained in all patients and ventilation scans in almost all, using standardized techniques. Chest radiographs were obtained in all patients within 12 hr of the lung scan. Most patients underwent pulmonary arteriography. The images were interpreted according to a set of interpretive criteria which remained constant throughout the trial. A standardized, detailed description of each image set was derived by consensus of teams of two readers blinded to clinical and arteriographic findings. This communication reports the methods used to describe and categorize the ventilation-perfusion scintigrams obtained in patients who were enrolled in the PIOPED study. Scintigraphic technique is reviewed briefly, probability assessment is described and the scan description is reviewed in detail. The form used to describe the findings on ventilation-perfusion scans is reproduced. Use of this standardized description permits retrospective evaluation of the PIOPED interpretive criteria. In addition, it represents a rigorous approach to scan analysis which could facilitate application of formal interpretive schemes and enhance the reproducibility of lung scan interpretations in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Juni
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sostman
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thrall
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McKusick
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Froelich
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alavi
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio / Q000502:physiology; D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes