Purpose: To compare the diagnostic utility of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in pregnant/postpartum women with age-matched controls.
Materials: We performed a retrospective case-control series of pregnant/postpartum women and control women who underwent CTPA from 2008 to 2011.
Results: The study included 34 pregnant women, 16 postpartum women, and 50 controls. CTPAs were positive in 2% of pregnant/postpartum women and 16% of controls (P=.003). The main pulmonary artery mean opacification was 271 Hounsfield units (HU) for pregnant/postpartum women vs. 303 HU (P=.12). Radiation exposure was high in both groups but lower in pregnant/postpartum women, 10 vs. 14 mSv (P=.003).
Conclusion: CTPA in pregnant and postpartum women had low yield and remained high dose.
Keywords: CT pulmonary angiogram; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Pulmonary emboli.
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