In:
Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal, SAGE Publications, Vol. 73, No. 1 ( 2022-02), p. 214-227
Abstract:
The investigation of acute pulmonary embolism is a common task for radiologists in Canada. Technical image quality and reporting quality must be excellent; pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening disease that should not be missed but overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment should be avoided. The most frequently performed imaging investigation, computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA), can be limited by poor pulmonary arterial opacification, technical artifacts and interpretative errors. Image quality can be affected by patient factors (such as body habitus, motion artifact and cardiac output), intravenous (IV) contrast protocols (including the timing, rate and volume of IV contrast administration) and common physics artifacts (including beam hardening). Mimics of acute pulmonary embolism can be seen in normal anatomic structures, disease in non-vascular structures and pulmonary artery filling defects not related to acute pulmonary emboli. Understanding these pitfalls can help mitigate error, improve diagnostic quality and optimize patient outcomes. Dual energy computed tomography holds promise to improve imaging diagnosis, particularly in clinical scenarios where routine CTPA may be problematic, including patients with impaired renal function and patients with altered cardiac anatomy.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0846-5371
,
1488-2361
DOI:
10.1177/08465371211000739
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2068691-2
detail.hit.zdb_id:
418190-6
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