RESTON, Va -- October 20, 2009 -- Lung scintigraphy may be more reliable than pulmonary computed tomography angiography (CTA) for identifying or excluding pulmonary embolism (PE) in pregnant patients, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
"Our study analysed 28 CTA studies and 25 lung scintigraphy studies performed on a group of 50 patients," said lead author Carole A. Ridge, MD, Department of Radiology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, Ireland.
Patient characteristics, radiology report content, additional imaging performed, final diagnosis, and diagnostic adequacy were recorded.
"The results showed that lung scintigraphy is more reliable than CTA for the diagnosis of PE. Only 1 out of 25 lung scintigraphic studies was inadequate for diagnosis; compared to 10 out of 28 CTA examinations that were found to be inadequate for diagnosis," she said.
Examinations were considered inadequate when poor image quality prohibited a diagnosis.
"During CTA in pregnant patients, it is hard to achieve optimal image quality because of the hemodynamic effects of pregnancy," said Dr. Ridge.
"Our findings confirm what recent reports in the literature have suggested; CTA is less reliable for the diagnosis of PE in pregnant patients," she said.
"Lung scintigraphy is more reliable than CTA for the diagnosis or exclusion of PE in pregnant patients, and should be considered the imaging technique of choice unless the CTA image technique can be optimised for the pregnant patient."
SOURCE: American Roentgen Ray Society
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