False-Positive for Pulmonary Emboli on Ventilation/Perfusion Scan Due to Improper Patient Positioning During Tracer Administration

Abstract

A 67-year-old woman presented with shortness of breath and a ventilation/perfusion scan was performed. Initial images demonstrated mismatched bilateral apical defects that would be classified as high probability for pulmonary emboli. However, it was unusual that the defects were only in the bilateral apices. Investigation discovered that 99mTc-MAA was administered while the patient was in a seated position. Repeat scan the following day with the patient in the correct, supine, position during 99mTc-MAA administration demonstrated no defects. In this case, incorrect patient positioning could have resulted in an incorrect diagnosis of pulmonary emboli and inappropriate treatment of the patient.