Diagnostic imaging for suspected pulmonary embolism during pregnancy and postpartum: A comparative radiation dose study

Introduction To compare the radiation dose exposure and diagnostic efficiency of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and ventilation/perfusion imaging (V/Q) for clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) in pregnant and postpartum women in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods A retro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical imaging and radiation oncology 2023-04, Vol.67 (3), p.223-231
Main Authors: Tester, Jodie, Rees, Megan, Pascoe, Diane, Earl, Victoria, Einsiedel, Paul, Lim, Wen Kwang, Irving, Louis, Hammerschlag, Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiography
Breast
Computed tomography
Computed Tomography Angiography - methods
diagnostic imaging
Diagnostic systems
Female
Humans
Medical imaging
postpartum
Postpartum Period
Pregnancy
pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary Embolism - diagnostic imaging
Pulmonary embolisms
Radiation
Radiation Dosage
radiation dose
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:Introduction To compare the radiation dose exposure and diagnostic efficiency of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and ventilation/perfusion imaging (V/Q) for clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) in pregnant and postpartum women in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 473 pregnant and postpartum women referred for CTPA or V/Q for clinically suspected PE between January 2013 and December 2018 at a tertiary hospital. Maternal effective radiation dose, breast‐absorbed radiation dose and fetal‐absorbed dose estimates were calculated. Diagnostic yield was evaluated from radiological findings. Results Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was more commonly used for the imaging of suspected PE in pregnant and postpartum populations (51.9% vs. 48.1% and 77.1% vs. 22.9%, respectively). CTPA was associated with higher maternal effective and breast‐absorbed doses (maternal effective CTPA 4.7 (±2.9) mSv (millisievert), V/Q 1.7(±0.8) mSv (mean difference 2.93 mSv P 
ISSN:1754-9477
1754-9485
DOI:10.1111/1754-9485.13420