Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32959115›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging2021

Clinical utility of perfusion (Q)-single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT for diagnosing pulmonary embolus (PE) in COVID-19 patients with a moderate to high pre-test probability of PE.

Jeeban P Das, Randy Yeh, Heiko Schöder

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. SPECT/CT Scan Images to Evaluate COVID-19 Pulmonary Complications: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Recent Advancements in Radiopharmaceuticals for Infection Imaging.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2024
    Review
  4. Observational
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Lung Scintigraphy for Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis in COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Study.Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2022
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Experience with a Perfusion-Only Screening Protocol for Evaluation of Pulmonary Embolism During the COVID-19 Pandemic Surge.Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2022
    Article
  13. Safe Pulmonary Scintigraphy in the Era of COVID-19.Seminars in nuclear medicine · 2022
    Review
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. The heterogeneity of lung perfusion patterns in SPECT/CT during COVID-19: not only embolism.European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2021
    Article
  18. A comprehensive review of imaging findings in COVID-19 - status in early 2021.European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2021
    Review
  19. V/Q SPECT/CT in the Time of COVID-19: Changing the Order to Improve Safety Without Sacrificing Accuracy.Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2021
    Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jeeban P DasDepartment of Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA. dasj@mskcc.org.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7619-4241
Randy YehDepartment of Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Heiko SchöderDepartment of Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · US

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Elisa de Stanchina · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWe reviewed the clinical utility of perfusion (Q)-single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT for diagnosing pulmonary embolus (PE) in patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2).

methodsFollowing the World Health Organization's declaration of a global pandemic, our department policy recommended Q-only SPECT/CT for all patients undergoing nuclear medicine evaluation for suspected PE to reduce the risk of aerosolization of respiratory droplets. We performed a retrospective review of sequential patients admitted with COVID-19 imaged with Q-SPECT/CT between March 17, 2020, and June 30, 2020, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We recorded patient demographics, clinical symptoms, Wells score (to stratify patients according to pre-test probability for PE prior to Q-SPECT/CT), and noted ancillary imaging findings on CT.

resultsOf the 33 patients imaged with Q-SPECT/CT, 6 patients (3 men, 3 women) had a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (mean age, 55, ± 11.4 years, range 33-68). All patients had a current diagnosis of malignancy and had a moderate or high pre-test probability for PE (mean Wells score 2.8, range 2-4). Q-SPECT/CT was positive in 4/6 (67%) of patients. Distribution of pulmonary emboli was bilateral and segmental in 75% of patients. Ancillary acute findings on SPECT/CT included bilateral parenchymal ground glass opacities (n = 5), pleural effusions (n = 2), and pneumomediastinum (n = 1).

conclusionQ-SPECT/CT has clinical utility for diagnosing PE in patients with COVID-19 where there is a contraindication for iodinated contrast media and a moderate or high pre-test probability for PE.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCOVID-19COVID-19 TestingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPerfusion ImagingProbabilityPulmonary EmbolismRetrospective StudiesRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-PhotonTomography, X-Ray ComputedRNA, ViralCoagulopathyCOVID-19Pulmonary embolismV/Q SPECT/CT

Identifiers

PMID32959115
PMCPMC7505736
OpenAlexW3087324474

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.