Rationale and objectives: To investigate the accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography in the depiction of perfusion defects in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).
Materials and methods: One hundred seventeen consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of acute PE underwent dual-energy multidetector computed tomographic (CT) angiography of the chest with a standard injection protocol. Two radiologists evaluated, by consensus, the presence of endoluminal clots on (1) transverse "diagnostic" scans (contiguous 1-mm-thick averaged images from tubes A and B) and (2) lung perfusion scans.
Results: Seventeen patients showed CT features of acute PE, with the depiction of 75 clots within the lobar (n = 15), segmental (n = 43) and subsegmental (n = 17) pulmonary arteries. A total of 17 clots were identified as complete filling defects (ie, obstructive clots), located within segmental (12 of 17) and subsegmental (5 of 17) arteries. Fourteen of the 17 obstructive clots were seen with the concurrent presence of corresponding perfusion defects, whereas cardiac motion and/or contrast-induced artifacts precluded the confident recognition of perfusion abnormalities in the remaining two segments and one subsegment. Four subsegmental perfusion defects were depicted without the visualization of endoluminal thrombi within the corresponding arteries. Perfusion defects were identified beyond five nonobstructive clots.
Conclusion: Simultaneous information on the presence of endoluminal thrombus and lung perfusion impairment can be obtained with dual-energy computed tomography.