Imaging for Pulmonary Embolism in Sickle Cell Disease: A 17-Year Experience

Conclusion: In sickle cell disease patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, positive imaging rates were low for any given clinical presentation, but 11% of the cohort was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism over the 17-y study period. CTPA and V/Q performed comparably for pulmonary embolism diagnosis when the choice of imaging was guided by results of chest radiography. Hence, V/Q is a reasonable first choice for sickle cell disease patients with normal chest radiographs.

Source: Journal of Nuclear Medicine - August 2, 2018 Category: Nuclear Medicine Authors: Tivnan, P., Billett, H. H., Freeman, L. M., Haramati, L. B. Tags: Clinical Source Type: research