Joint Program in Nuclear Medicine
Findings, case of Shortness of Breath and Bilateral Leg Swelling
Imaging Findings
CXR was normal. Lung scintigraphy (68k bytes) demonstrated near
absent left lung perfusion. There were at least two full segment
wedge-shaped perfusion defects in the right lung: anterior basal
segment and lateral segment of the right middle lobe. Ventilation study
(72k bytes) was normal. The impression was high probability for
pulmonary embolism.
Hospital Course:
The patient was started immediately on intravenous heparin and
subsequently coumadin PO. He remained asymptomatic and was discharged
home. A follow-up lung perfusion study (72k bytes) obtained 24
days after the initial scan showed essentially complete resolution
of the perfusion abnormalities.
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J. Anthony Parker, MD PhD, Tony_Parker@bidmc.harvard.edu