A case of pulmonary arterial hypertension with V/Q SPECT/CT that showed localized uptake of 99mTc just below the pleura and a unique distribution

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening disorder, which originates from various aetiologies. Ventilation–perfusion (V/Q) scanning is commonly used to evaluate the differential diagnosis of PH. Meanwhile, previous studies have shown that single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT imaging can provide a more detailed analysis for the assessment of pulmonary blood flow. However, there is insufficient evidence supporting the merits of V/Q SPECT/CT image data in detecting pulmonary vascular disease. Here, we report a case of pulmonary arterial hypertension with localized accumulation and peculiar distribution just below the pleura on V/Q SPECT/CT. Our finding is unique, and it suggests that V/Q SPECT/CT image data might be useful to detect blood flow not only in cases of pulmonary embolism, but also in the more commonly encountered PH.