TRANSMISSION COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY, TC-99M MAA SCINTIGRAPHY, AND PLAIN CHEST RADIOGRAPHY AFTER EXPERIMENTALLY PRODUCED ACUTE PULMONARY ARTERIAL-OCCLUSION IN THE DOG

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 20  (12) , 1251-1256
Abstract
Segmental and subsegmental pulmonary arteries in the dog were occluded with Swan-Ganz balloon catheters or i.v. injection of autologous clot; the chest was studied with transmission computed tomography (TCT), 99mTc-MAA [macroaggregated albumin] .gamma.-imaging and plain radiographs. The arterial occlusions were between 1-5 h old at the time of imaging. Radiographs revealed no lesions. 99mTc-MAA scans revealed 10 of 11 lesions. When a TCT image was made before i.v. injection of Renografin-60, 2 of 11 lesions were identified; after Renografin the score was 4 of 10. The appearance of lesions on TCT was highly variable. 99mTc-MAA .gamma.-imaging is more accurate than TCT in the identification of small experimentally produced acute pulmonary arterial occlusions in the dog; the role of TCT in the diagnosis of small, acute human pulmonary emboli is not certain. The common assumption that postembolic lung is oligemic is questioned.