Preview
Pulmonary embolism is a common and life-threatening complication in hospitalized patients. Accurate diagnosis is critical. This article examines the role of ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scanning—a relatively simple noninvasive test—in diagnosing pulmonary embolism. As the authors point out, accurate interpretation of V/Q scanning results is essential. Criteria for interpreting V/Q scans, a diagnostic algorithm, and three case reports are included in the article.