title: Pulmonary embolism: diagnosis with electron-beam CT.
abstract: Contrast material-enhanced electron-beam computed tomography (CT) (100-msec scan time) was performed to image the pulmonary vasculature in 86 patients, each suspected of having a pulmonary embolism (PE). Thromboembolic material was demonstrated in 39 patients; no emboli were demonstrated in 47. In 25 patients, angiographic or pathologic proof was available. There were 19 proved positive CT scans, four proved negative scans, one false-negative scan, and one false-positive scan. In the 21 patients with CT and angiographic correlation, evidence of thromboembolic disease was seen in 88 vascular zones. Fifty-three zones were positive for PE at both CT and angiography. Eighteen zones were positive for PE at angiography alone, and 17 zones were positive at CT alone. Electron-beam CT is a potentially effective noninvasive means of diagnosing PE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Teigen
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Maus
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Sheedy
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stanson
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Welch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed