[Radionuclide techniques in early diagnosis of pulmonary artery thromboembolism]

A combined procedure of indirect radionuclide phlebography and emission tomography of the lung with human serum albumin microspheres was employed to diagnose thromboembolism of pulmonary arterial branches (TPAB) and thrombosis in the inferior cava system. Four hundred and forty nine patients suspected for TPAB were examined. The data characteristic of pulmonary thromboembolism were obtained in 21.6% of cases. In 75 (17.6%) of 432 patients, indirect radionuclide phlebography revealed signs of thrombosis in the inferior cava at various sites. The radionuclide study of pulmonary perfusion is the only technique that assesses the degree of recovery of pulmonary perfusion after TPAB.