Role and importance of perfusion scintigraphy in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

The results of 200 camera-scintigraphic examinations, performed because of clinically suspicious pulmonary embolism are reported. On the basis of the results and in order to make the diagnosis probable, the importance of pulmonary scintigraphy is emphasized. The negativity of the examinations excludes embolism of a greater vascular trunk. However, the positivity of the scintigram, compared with the thoracal roentgenogram (if the roentgenogram of the lung is negative, or if the perfusion decrease is greater than the radiological change) together with other clinical data points with high probability to pulmonary embolism. (author)