TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance and Interpretation of Lung Scintigraphy An Evaluation of Current Practices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and United States
AU - Le Pennec, Romain
AU - Schaefer, Wolfgang
AU - Tulchinsky, Mark
AU - Lamoureux, François
AU - Roach, Paul
AU - Rischpler, Christoph
AU - Zukotynski, Katherine
AU - O’Brien, Christopher
AU - Murphy, Declan
AU - Pascal, Pierre
AU - Le Gal, Grégoire
AU - Salaun, Pierre Yves
AU - Le Roux, Pierre Yves
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
PY - 2024/11/1
Y1 - 2024/11/1
N2 - Purpose: Although ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy is a widely used imaging test, different options are possible for the acquisition and interpretation of the scan. The aim of this study was to assess current practices regarding the use and interpretation of lung scintigraphy in various clinical indications. Patients and Methods: An online survey comprising 25 questions was sent to nuclear medicine departments in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and United States between 2022 and 2023. A single response per department was consolidated. Results: Four hundred nineteen responses were collected (Australia: 32, Canada: 58, France: 149, Germany: 92, and United States: 88). For acute pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis, 82.8% of centers reported using SPECT acquisitions (Australia: 93.3%, Canada: 91.8%, France: 99.2%, Germany: 96.2%, and United States: 32.1%). Among them, SPECT images were combined with a CT scan in 70.5% of centers. A total of 10.6% of centers reported not using ventilation for acute PE diagnosis. SPECT acquisition was used in 97.8% of centers using 99mTc carbon particles, 97.1% 81mKr gas, 58.7% 99mTc-DTPA, and 19.4% 133Xe gas, respectively. For V/Q SPECT interpretation, the EANM criteria were used in 65.0% of departments. A very wide variety of practices were observed in pregnant women and in COVID-19 patients. SPECT acquisition was widely used in the follow-up of PE and for the screening of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (>90% of centers), with inconsistency regarding the interpretation of matched perfusion defects in this setting. Conclusions: This survey shows the strong adoption of SPECT in the various clinical indications of lung scintigraphy, except in the United States, where planar imaging is still mostly used. The survey also shows variability in interpretation criteria both for PE diagnosis and screening for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, highlighting the need for further standardizations of practices.
AB - Purpose: Although ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy is a widely used imaging test, different options are possible for the acquisition and interpretation of the scan. The aim of this study was to assess current practices regarding the use and interpretation of lung scintigraphy in various clinical indications. Patients and Methods: An online survey comprising 25 questions was sent to nuclear medicine departments in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and United States between 2022 and 2023. A single response per department was consolidated. Results: Four hundred nineteen responses were collected (Australia: 32, Canada: 58, France: 149, Germany: 92, and United States: 88). For acute pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis, 82.8% of centers reported using SPECT acquisitions (Australia: 93.3%, Canada: 91.8%, France: 99.2%, Germany: 96.2%, and United States: 32.1%). Among them, SPECT images were combined with a CT scan in 70.5% of centers. A total of 10.6% of centers reported not using ventilation for acute PE diagnosis. SPECT acquisition was used in 97.8% of centers using 99mTc carbon particles, 97.1% 81mKr gas, 58.7% 99mTc-DTPA, and 19.4% 133Xe gas, respectively. For V/Q SPECT interpretation, the EANM criteria were used in 65.0% of departments. A very wide variety of practices were observed in pregnant women and in COVID-19 patients. SPECT acquisition was widely used in the follow-up of PE and for the screening of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (>90% of centers), with inconsistency regarding the interpretation of matched perfusion defects in this setting. Conclusions: This survey shows the strong adoption of SPECT in the various clinical indications of lung scintigraphy, except in the United States, where planar imaging is still mostly used. The survey also shows variability in interpretation criteria both for PE diagnosis and screening for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, highlighting the need for further standardizations of practices.
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U2 - 10.1097/RLU.0000000000005396
DO - 10.1097/RLU.0000000000005396
M3 - Article
C2 - 39086050
AN - SCOPUS:85200410438
SN - 0363-9762
VL - 49
SP - 997
EP - 1003
JO - Clinical nuclear medicine
JF - Clinical nuclear medicine
IS - 11
ER -