Pulmonary Thromboembolism, Research, PISAPED and PIOPED scintigraphic interpretations

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare two scintigraphic interpretations, namely the Prospective Investigative Study of Acute Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PISAPED) study and the Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) in patients with clinical suspicious of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) based on computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) interpretation. Methods: A total of 201 patients with clinical suspicion of acute PE were examined with pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy and CTPA. The follow-up time was 6-12 months. The scintigraphic and CTPA interpretations were reviewed by different specialists, without being aware of each others? results. Conclusions: It is recommended for scintigraphic diagnosis of PE to utilize of pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy with PIOPED interpretation rather than pulmonary perfusion scan with PISAPED as pulmonary ventilation study may specifically address cold areas in pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy.