Extract
S.L. Hansen and colleagues present a number of arguments aiming to improve the “tarnished” (as the authors call it) reputation of ventilation–perfusion (VQ) scintigraphy, and to promote single photon emission computed tomography (VQ SPECT) in the diagnostic work-up of suspected pulmonary embolism. Among others, the authors provide a table showing the effective and absorbed doses in different imaging modalities used for the diagnosis or exclusion of pulmonary embolism. This information complements and extends the data provided in the 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism, developed in collaboration with the European Respiratory Society (ERS) [1]. In agreement with these guidelines, S.L. Hansen and colleagues point to the significantly lower radiation dose absorbed by the breast tissue during VQ SPECT as opposed to computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). In view of these differences, the authors advocate the use of VQ SPECT as first-line diagnostic modality in young adult females with suspected pulmonary embolism.
Abstract
Ventilation–perfusion scintigraphy may continue to be the first-line diagnostic method for pulmonary embolism in institutions that can ensure its uninterrupted availability and the expertise in its interpretation https://bit.ly/2y3Dlhx
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: S.V. Konstantinides reports grants and personal fees from Bayer AG, Daiichi Sankyo, BTG – Boston Scientific Group and Actelion – Janssen, grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and Servier, personal fees from Pfizer – Bristol Myers Squibb and MSD, outside the submitted work.
Support statement: The work of Stavros Konstantinides was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1003 & 01EO1503). The author is responsible for the contents of this publication. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.
- Received April 27, 2020.
- Accepted April 27, 2020.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020