Image diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

In this retrospective study of lung scans done within the last 30 months, at the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Hospital das Forcas Armadas in Brasilia - Brazil, the authors had 94 patients. Sixty-three had lung scan for suspect pulmonary embolism and have hospital register. In this group, clinical data risk factors, chest x-rays, angiographies and treatments were investigated. The authors found a high incidence of dyspnea (81%) as the major symptom; cardiopathy as the major risk factor (54.8%); a rate of 71% of lung scan with pulmonary embolism; and a rate of 100% in patients with high probability lung scan. Chest x-ray detected pulmonary embolism in 58.1% of the cases. (authors)