This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by MEDINA, J. R. Articles by Ponto, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by MEDINA, J. R. Articles by Ponto, R.

(Circulation. 1969;39:831.)
© 1969 American Heart Association, Inc.

---

Regional Ventilation in the Differential Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism

JOSE R. MEDINA M.D.¹; PHILIPPE L'HEUREUX M.D.¹; JAMES P. LILLEHEI M.D.¹; MERLE K. LOKEN M.D., PH.D.¹; Richard Ponto B.A.¹

¹ From the Departments of Medicine and Radiology, the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by lung scanning, clinical errors of interpretation may arise. Diseases that affect the distribution of pulmonary blood flow, such as pulmonary emphysema and bronchial asthma, may be confused with pulmonary embolism.

With the addition of ventilation studies with ¹³³xenon to the perfusion scans, distinct differences appear between patients with emboli and those with obstructive lung disease. In patients with pulmonary emboli, ventilation is preserved in the areas of decreased perfusion, whereas patients with obstructive lung disease show both decreased ventilation and perfusion in the affected areas.

Key Words: ¹³³Xenon • Ventilation-perfusion • Pulmonary embolism • Lung scans

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Seed Pulmonary embolism: Part 2 Diagnostic methods and management Vascular Medicine, September 1, 1991; 2(2): 121 - 136. [PDF]