What is a lung scan?
Ventilation scans examine how air moves within your lungs, from the major pathways through all the tiny branches.
Perfusion scans look at the blood flow inside your lungs — veins and arteries instead of bronchi and bronchioles.
Differential scan is the evaluation of regional pulmonary perfusion prior to lung reduction surgery
The radiologist compares the results of the two lung scans, which should look similar. A VQ mismatch usually means there’s some sort of blockage restricting either the blood flow or air flow.
Lung scans are used to identify blockages in the respiratory or circulatory system within your lungs. They are commonly used to catch pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots inside the lungs that — undiagnosed or untreated — can be fatal.
Who needs a lung scan?
You may need a lung scan if you are suspected of having:
- Pulmonary embolism
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Surgery
What are the risks of a lung scan?
The risk to other people is very low, so these scans are considered safe and effective ways to diagnose disease.
What should I expect during a lung scan?
In a ventilation scan, you will breathe in radioactive gas, which usually takes about 5-minutes. A special camera takes 4 images of your lungs, each image takes about 3-5 minutes.
In a perfusion scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein in your arm. A special camera takes 4 images of your lungs, each image takes about 3-5 minutes.
In a differential scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein in your arm. A special camera takes 2 images of your lungs, you will be here for about 15 minutes.
What should I expect after my lung scan?
It usually take 24-48 hours for your doctor to receive a report. Drink plenty of fluids to help flush the radiotracer out of your body, what does not get flushed out of your body will decay out. There are no other restrictions.