Efficacy and continued technical improvements in CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) have produced a significant rise in its use for the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). The growth of CTPA has produced a corresponding reduction in the utilization of pulmonary scintigraphy to the extent that some publications have suggested that lung scanning has become a second-line test. Lung ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy along with modified prospective investigation of pulmonary embolism diagnosis (PIOPED) interpretation criteria has been utilized to diagnose acute PE. More recently, a simplified algorithm comprising pulmonary perfusion scan along with prospective investigative study of pulmonary embolism diagnosis (PISAPED) interpretation criteria has shown a reduction of intermediate probability as one of the lung scan readings generated by the modified PIOPED criteria and has improved the sensitivity and specificity of the lung scintigraphy along with the modified PIOPED criteria to detect acute PE. Continue reading “PIOPED II, PISAPED and CTPA Criteria for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolus”
