Chest computerized tomography angiography (CTA) is the gold standard to evaluate patients with suspected Pulmonary Embolism (PE). When a study does not result in a diagnostic quality exam without limitation, physicians must choose to repeat the exam; to order additional imaging tests; or to proceed with medical therapy.

According to a recent Albany Medical Center abstract¹, 30% of the PE studies conducted in the Emergency Department showed suboptimal results. Patients with suboptimal interpretations were subjected to additional imaging studies and/or received medical therapy. In some cases, patients were admitted to the hospital for further PE diagnosis consideration. As a result, the suboptimal interpretations substantially impacted healthcare resource utilization and increased healthcare costs.

Research from a study conducted at University of Pittsburgh², has shown that MEDRAD's P3T® PA (Pulmonary Angiography) software has resulted in a higher percentage of PE exams ranked as diagnostic without limitation and has shown to result in better contrast enhancement of the pulmonary arteries when compared to standard exams, albeit at a slightly higher contrast dose than the standard protocol of 80 ml.

MEDRAD’s P3T software is radiology’s only contrast injection application that enables clinicians to automatically calculate and deliver personalized contrast injection protocols according to patient, procedure, and prescribed physician parameters. P3T applications increase consistency of contrast injection delivery among clinicians and across a wide variety of patient types.

1.  Weinstein JM; Burton JH; Katz BS, Department of Emergency Medicine; Albany Medical Center; Albany, NY

2.  Presented at Society of Thoracic Radiology (2008) Poster Session; Christopher R. Deible MD, PhD.  Information and images provided through the courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh.  Used by permission