Nuclear medicine 5: ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy
- Purden, Joseph
- Morton, Faye
Abstract
Nuclear medicine provides imaging modalities that can be used to observe physiological processes in the human body, particularly in the bones, heart, lungs, renal system and brain. Ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy is used to assess air flow and blood perfusion in the lungs and is, therefore, indicated when pulmonary emboli are suspected, particularly in women who are pregnant. This final article in a five-part series explains how ventilation/perfusion imaging works and what precautions need to be taken with, and around, patients undergoing this investigation.
This article has been double-blind peer reviewed
In this article…
Principle of ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy
How ventilation/perfusion imaging is used to diagnose pulmonary emboli
Precautions required when patients undergo ventilation/perfusion imaging