CT PE C+
(last updated 7/9/2019, last reviewed 01/14/2026)
INDICATION: R/O Pulmonary embolism. Chest pain, dyspnea. Pulmonary artery aneursym. Pulmonary AVM.
SERIES
- 2mm Axial Soft Tissue/CTA
- 1mm Axial Lung
- 2mm Coronal Soft Tissue/CTA
- 3mm Coronal Lung
- 3mm Sagittal Lung
- Coronal slab MIP Lung
SINGLE COLLIMATION WIDTH: 0.625 mm
SLICE THICKNESS: 1 mm
KERNAL: std soft tissue and lung
SFOV: large
COVERAGE: thoracic inlet/apices -> posterior costophrenic sulci
ACQUISITION: caudocranial
IV CONTRAST: yes
INJECTION RATE: 3.5 to 4 mL/sec
SCAN DELAY: visual @ main PA (~20 to 30 sec)
RESPIRATION: suspended respiration (instruct not to take a deep breath)
IV CONTRAST DOSE: 75 to 100 mL
POSTPROCESSING: 3 mm coronal, 3 mm sagittal, coronal MIP
NOTES:
To limit the dilutional effect of the unopacified blood:
1. Maintain the injection rate at 3.5-4 mL/sec as best as possible. Document the injection rate in the logbook.
2. Instruct the patient to take shallow breaths (not deep breaths). Instruct patient not to contract or tense up their stomach muscle when they hold their breath. When the patient takes the final breath in to hold, instruct patients to take only a small breath in and then stop/suspend breathing
***For pediatric patients (<18 yo) follow ALARA principle and use pediatric specific technical parameters per respective CT scanner***