Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan

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Albumin injection

V/Q scan; Ventilation/perfusion scan; Lung ventilation/perfusion scan

The health care provider should take a ventilation and perfusion scan and then evaluate it with a chest x-ray. All parts of both lungs should take up the radioisotope uniformly.

A decreased uptake of radioisotope during a perfusion scan indicates a problem with blood flow, including occlusion of the pulmonary arteries. A localized decrease in perfusion scan uptake (particularly when the ventilation scan is normal) may indicate pulmonary embolus. Larger areas of decreased perfusion scan uptake may indicate a condition such as pneumonitis.

A decreased uptake of radioisotope during a ventilation scan may indicate reduced breathing and ventilation ability or airway obstruction. A decreased ventilation uptake (plus x-ray evidence of consolidation) may indicate pneumonia. Larger areas of poor uptake may indicate damage from chronic smoking or COPD.

Review Date: 03/01/2007
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.