Perfusion Lung Scan in Normal Volunteers

Abstract

The appearance of the lung scans in 61 clinically asymptomatic volunteers is described. Of the 61 volunteers, 16% (10 subjects) exhibited some type of perfusion defect. Six subjects exhibited subtle defects, the exact nature of which is unknown. Of the 4 other subjects with major perfusion abnormalities, 3 were indistinguishable from pulmonary embolism. The uncertain etiology of the positive lung scans in this series demonstrates the non-specificity of the positive perfusion lung scans.