Performance and Interpretation of Lung Scintigraphy: An Evaluation of Current Practices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and United States.
Clin Nucl Med
; 49(11): 997-1003, 2024 Nov 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39086050
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Although ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy is a widely used imaging test, different options are possible for the acquisition and interpretation of the scan. The aim of this study was to assess current practices regarding the use and interpretation of lung scintigraphy in various clinical indications. PATIENTS ANDMETHODS:
An online survey comprising 25 questions was sent to nuclear medicine departments in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and United States between 2022 and 2023. A single response per department was consolidated.RESULTS:
Four hundred nineteen responses were collected (Australia 32, Canada 58, France 149, Germany 92, and United States 88). For acute pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis, 82.8% of centers reported using SPECT acquisitions (Australia 93.3%, Canada 91.8%, France 99.2%, Germany 96.2%, and United States 32.1%). Among them, SPECT images were combined with a CT scan in 70.5% of centers. A total of 10.6% of centers reported not using ventilation for acute PE diagnosis. SPECT acquisition was used in 97.8% of centers using 99m Tc carbon particles, 97.1% 81m Kr gas, 58.7% 99m Tc-DTPA, and 19.4% 133 Xe gas, respectively. For V/Q SPECT interpretation, the EANM criteria were used in 65.0% of departments. A very wide variety of practices were observed in pregnant women and in COVID-19 patients. SPECT acquisition was widely used in the follow-up of PE and for the screening of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (>90% of centers), with inconsistency regarding the interpretation of matched perfusion defects in this setting.CONCLUSIONS:
This survey shows the strong adoption of SPECT in the various clinical indications of lung scintigraphy, except in the United States, where planar imaging is still mostly used. The survey also shows variability in interpretation criteria both for PE diagnosis and screening for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, highlighting the need for further standardizations of practices.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Embolia Pulmonar
/
Pulmão
Limite:
Humans
País como assunto:
America do norte
/
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article