how necessary it is to perform a ventilation scan in patients with a history of covid-19 to rule out pulmonary thromboembolism?

Objective(s): this study evaluated the necessity of a ventilation scan in patients suspected of pe with a history of covid-19 infection.methods: this was a cross-sectional study of patients with pcr-confirmed covid-19 and suspected pe at a tertiary care hospital in 2020. they underwent ventilation/perfusion (v/q) scintigraphy using single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (spect/ct) and ct scans with or without contrast. two blinded nuclear medicine physicians interpreted the images for pe and covid-19. clinical and laboratory data were extracted and analyzed.results:  96 patients with suspected pe and covid-19 infection. the study excluded eight patients who could not undergo ventilation scans and confirmed pe in five patients with multiple mismatched v/q defects on spect/ct. the study ruled out pe in 83 patients who had either regular perfusion scans, perfusion defects with covid-19 features, or matched v/q defects. the study found that the prevalence of pe was 5.68%, and the necessity of ventilation scans was 28.40% in this population.conclusion: it was found that pe was present in 5.68% of the patients, and ventilation scans were needed for 28.40% of the patients to confirm or exclude it.