Validity of pulmonary cine arteriography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

The aim of this study was to assess the interobserver variations in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) with cine technique and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary arteriograms to final-outcome diagnosis. One hundred and seventy patients with clinical suspicion of acute PE were examined with ECG, laboratory tests, chest X-ray, pulmonary scintigraphy and selective pulmonary cine arteriography. The follow-up time was 6 months. Fifty-one arteriograms were interpreted as positive for PE. Two pulmonary emboli were missed when compared with the diagnosis as stated by the final-outcome committee. No arteriograms were considered as not of diagnostic quality. Mean interobserver agreement in lobar vessels was 100 %, in segmental vessels 93 % and in subsegmental vessels 63 %. The mean interobserver agreement was 89 %. Pulmonary cine arteriography produces high diagnostic accuracy and few inconclusive results in patients with suspected PE. Received: 29 September 1997; Revision received: 9 March 1998; Accepted: 14 July 1998