Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Individually, CT study results for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism are promising, if not amazing enough to give the old heave-ho to the gold standard test, pulmonary angiography. But a recent meta-analysis of these studies indicates that physicians can rely on negative spiral CT as a front-line test to rule out PE.
Dr. U. Joseph Schoepf and colleagues based their conclusion on 15 studies involving 3,500 patients. In their estimation, the study's approach to establishing CT's validity for ruling out PE was a practical one -- they investigated the rate of subsequent venous thromboembolic events after anticoagulation therapy was withheld as the result of a negative chest CT scan. To read more in an article by staff writer Eric Barnes, click here, or head over to our CT Digital Community.
In other vascular imaging news, Doppler ultrasound is a useful tool for determining the significance of internal carotid artery stenosis, but it's not always the most straightforward exam, according to an article by staff writer N. Shivapriya. Technical issues abound, including variable Doppler parameters and thresholds. Visit our Ultrasound Digital Community for the details of a lecture on this complex topic by Dr. Edward Grant from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, or simply click here.
