Significance of Results
| Result | Interpretation | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | No perfusion deficit | Excludes pulmonary thromboembolism |
| Low probability | Perfusion deficit with matched ventilation deficit | < 20% probability of PE |
| Intermediate probability | Perfusion deficit that corresponds to parenchymal abnormality on chest x-ray | 20% - 80% probability of PE |
| High probability | Multiple segmental perfusion deficits with normal ventilation | > 80% probability of PE |
Decreased uptake of the inhaled radioisotope may indicate an impaired ability to breathe, airway obstruction, or possible pneumonia.
Decreased circulation of the injected MAA indicates a problem with blood flow into or within the lungs. A localized area of decreased uptake, usually in a wedge shaped (or pie shaped) configuration with normal ventilation images (mismatched defect) suggests a pulmonary embolus or blood clot in the lungs, which leads to reduced perfusion.
Read more about this topic: Ventilation/perfusion Scan
Famous quotes containing the words significance of, significance and/or results:
“For a parent, it’s hard to recognize the significance of your work when you’re immersed in the mundane details. Few of us, as we run the bath water or spread the peanut butter on the bread, proclaim proudly, “I’m making my contribution to the future of the planet.” But with the exception of global hunger, few jobs in the world of paychecks and promotions compare in significance to the job of parent.”
—Joyce Maynard (20th century)
“Of what significance the light of day, if it is not the reflection of an inward dawn?—to what purpose is the veil of night withdrawn, if the morning reveals nothing to the soul? It is merely garish and glaring.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
““The ideal reasoner,” he remarked, “would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it.””
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)