Ventilation/perfusion scanning

This was a retrospective review of five years’ data relating to patients referred to the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) of a large teaching hospital with suspected Pulmonary Embolism (PE) during pregnancy or 6 weeks postpartum. During this period, 210 patients in this group underwent half-dose perfusion scanning as investigation for possible PE and were managed via our ambulatory pathway. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed in 5.2% of patients compared to 18% of non-pregnant patients identified in a previous audit. Half-dose Q scanning enabled exclusion of PE in almost 90% of patients without the need for further imaging. A new local pathway for the investigation and management of PE during pregnancy has now been developed.