Distribution of ventilation/perfusion ratios in pulmonary embolism: an adjunct to the interpretation of ventilation/perfusion lung scans.
Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) by visual interpretation of ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scans is limited by the high percentages of patients classified in the intermediate- and low-probability categories. This study proposes a quantitative analysis of the distribution of V/Q ratios to better identify patients with PE.


METHODS
We studied 99 consecutive patients who underwent dual-isotope (81m)Kr/(99m)Tc-macroaggregate V/Q scanning and arterial blood gas analysis within 48 h. The 8-view V/Q scans were visually analyzed by 2 observers according to the revised criteria of the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) (normal scan or low, intermediate, or high probability of PE). Quantitative analysis of the posterior-view distribution histogram of V/Q ratios was performed using dedicated software. Briefly, regions of interest were drawn around the lungs on the matched V/Q images, smooth filtering was applied, normalized regional V/Q ratios were calculated within each pixel, and a distribution histogram was built.


RESULTS
Patients with normal scans (n = 16) had a predominance of V/Q ratios (63.3% +/- 13.0%) between 0.8 and 1.2. They had only 9.8% +/- 5.8% of ratios > 1.2, and the remaining 26.9% +/- 7.5% of ratios were <0.8. By contrast, patients with PE (n = 34) were characterized by a significant increase (15.5 +/- 10.0%, P = 0.04) in high V/Q ratios (>1.2) and a significant increase (34.5% +/- 8.2%, P = 0.003) in low V/Q ratios (<0.8). Interestingly, a similar pattern was found in patients with a high PIOPED probability of PE, 21.3% +/- 11.0% and 37.5% +/- 9.2%, respectively. Within the nondiagnostic group (intermediate- + low-probability scans, n = 58), 17 patients were finally diagnosed with PE. Analysis of the distribution histogram in this group allowed the identification of 5 patients with PE (specificity, 78%).


CONCLUSIONS
A quantitative approach to lung scan interpretation, based on the distribution histogram of V/Q ratios, may be helpful for categorizing patients with suspected PE.
Itti
Emmanuel
E
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Henri Mondor Hospital, Paris XII University, Créteil, France. eitti@wanadoo.fr
Nguyen
Séverine
S
Robin
Fabrice
F
Desarnaud
Serge
S
Rosso
Jean
J
Harf
Alain
A
Meignan
Michel
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007727:Krypton Radioisotopes; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio
D007727:Krypton Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D010100:Oxygen