What Is a V/Q (Ventilation-Perfusion) SCAN?
A Ventilation-Perfusion SCAN is a nuclear medicine investigation for the lungs. It usually consists of two investigations, a ventilation scan and a perfusion scan. However, occasionally, a ventilation scan may be excluded.
In a ventilation scan, the patient is asked to inhale the radiotracer and the distribution of the inhaled radiotracer in the lungs is visualized using a gamma camera.
In a perfusion scan, a small amount of radiotracer is injected into the patient intravenously and it’s distribution in the lungs is then seen using a gamma camera.
