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Published on: November 4, 2015
CT pulmonary angiography in pregnant and postpartum women: low yield, high dose
Eric J Jordan1, Alla Godelman2, Jeffrey M Levsky2
1University of California San Francisco, Department of Radiology.
Purpose:
To compare the diagnostic utility of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in pregnant/postpartum women with age-matched controls.
Materials:
We performed a retrospective case-control series of pregnant/postpartum women and control women who underwent CTPA from 2008 to 2011.
Results:
The study included 34 pregnant women, 16 postpartum women, and 50 controls. CTPAs were positive in 2% of pregnant/postpartum women and 16% of controls (P=.003). The main pulmonary artery mean opacification was 271 Hounsfield units (HU) for pregnant/postpartum women vs. 303 HU (P=.12). Radiation exposure was high in both groups but lower in pregnant/postpartum women, 10 vs. 14 mSv (P=.003).
Conclusion:
CTPA in pregnant and postpartum women had low yield and remained high dose.
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