V/Q Scan: MedlinePlus Medical Test

What is a V/Q scan?

A V/Q scan is composed of two imaging assessments that appear for certain lung complications. The assessments are:

• A ventilation scan, which steps how air moves in and out of your lungs
• A perfusion scan, which steps circulation (how blood flows in the lungs)

The two scans may perhaps be performed independently or jointly.

A V/Q scan takes advantage of a tiny total of a radioactive compound named a tracer that aids appear for sickness in the overall body. The scans assistance diagnose various lung ailments, which include a pulmonary embolism (PE). A PE is a everyday living-threatening blockage in an artery in the lungs. It typically comes about when a blood clot in an additional part of the overall body breaks free and travels to the lungs.

Other names: ventilation/perfusion scan, pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan, lung scan, lung V/Q scan