Computed tomography (CT) scan for pulmonary embolism

Objective: to determine the role of helical ct scan in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in our population and compare the results with published data. methods: one-hundred ten cases of pulmonary embolism were selected for this study. helical ct chest scanning was performed in all patients. other imaging tests for pulmonary embolism (pe) including scintigraphy,doppler ultrasound of leg veins and pulmonary angiography were performed at clinician's discretion. the helical ct finding were obtained from medical record and three months follow up was done in those patients in which ct findings were negative for pulmonary embolism. sensitivity,specificity,negative predictive value (npv),positive predictive value (ppv) and accuracy of helical ct scan was calculated. spss version 14 was used for data analysis. results: among 50 patients diagnosed of having pulmonary embolism,ct scan was positive for pe in 40 patients. there were 10 false negative and no false positive results. sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value (ppv),negative predictive value (npv) and accuracy of helical ct was 80%,100%,100%,86% and 91% respectively. conclusion: helical ct chest is a very quick,easy,non-invasive and accurate imaging modality in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.