Introduction

A lung ventilation & perfusion (V/Q) scan is an imaging test that shows how well your child’s lungs are working. 

It checks:

• ventilation- how air moves in and out of the lungs
• perfusion- how blood flows around the lungs.

It uses: 

• a Gamma camera – a large camera that measures radiation
• radiotracer- a small amount of radioactive fluid or gas that moves through the body. 

The gamma camera takes pictures of the radiotracer moving through your child’s lungs to show how air and blood move.

A lung ventilation perfusion scan can be done to check for:

• possible blood clot blockages in the lungs, like pulmonary embolism.
• hypertension – high blood pressure

Your child can eat and drink normally before the scan. Your child will be weighed to help calculate the correct amount of radiotracer.

The risks of radiation and allergic reactions are very low. Let your child’s treatment team know if they have any allergies. 
 

Your child will not feel anything during the scan, and the camera will not touch them. 

The scan is broken into two parts, taking about 60-90 minutes total. 

Generally, the steps of the scan are:

Part 1:

Ventilation, or airflow. 

1. your child will lie on the scanning bed
2. a blanket with velcro straps may be used to help keep your child still
3. your child will practice breathing through a face mask and/or a tube with a nose peg attached
4. the radiotracer gas is then attached
5. your child will breathe normally using a face mask or tube - the gas will not make your child feel any different
6. over 20 minutes, the camera will move around to take images of your child’s chest and lungs at different angles.

Part 2: 

Perfusion, or blood flow

This part happens straight after part one. 

1. your child will stay on the scanning bed
2. a blanket with velcro straps may be used to help keep your child still
3. a small amount of radiotracer will be injected using a small needle
4. over 20 minutes, the camera will move around to take images of your child’s chest and lungs at different angles.

You can stay with your child for both of the scans.  

You can leave once the images are checked by a doctor or nuclear medicine scientist.

The results will be sent to your child’s doctor within a couple of days. You will need to schedule a follow-up appointment with your child’s doctor to discuss the results.