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2014 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02462
617-243-6000
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Natick, MA 01760
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159 Wells Ave
Newton Centre, MA 02459
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978 Worcester Road (rte 9)
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02482
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25 Washington Street
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
617-219-1520
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Waltham, MA 02453
617-243-5590
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
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A VQ (ventilation and quantitative) lung scan is a two-part test. The first part, the ventilation scan, shows how well you get the air in and out of your lungs when you breathe. The second part, the quantitative scan, shows how well blood flows to your lungs.
Department of Radiology, Newton-Wellesley Hospital 2014 Washington Street Newton, MA 02462 Phone: 617-243-6600
Important: If you are nursing a baby, or if there is any possibility that you could be pregnant, please speak with your referring doctor before your scheduled appointment.
You must have a chest X-ray within 24 hours prior to your VQ lung scan. If no current films are available, you will be asked to go to the Radiology Department for an X-ray on the day of your VQ lung scan. If you have films from your doctor’s office, please bring these with you.
You will be lying comfortably on a scan table with a gamma camera positioned under the table. For the first part, or ventilation scan, we’ll place an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth. We will ask you to breathe through the mask while we release a small amount of a radioactive gas into the systems. We will take pictures as you breathe in and out. It is important that the mask stays on during the entire procedure. This mask will be in place for approximately five minutes.
The second part of the scan is a perfusion scan. The technologist will inject a radioactive tracer into a vein in your arm. This will allow the technologist to take pictures of the blood flow to your lungs. We will take pictures in different projections using the gamma camera. These pictures take 15 to 30 minutes.
The entire procedure takes approximately one hour. Please allow for extra time if you have not had a chest X-ray within 24 hours.
After the exam, the technologist will process your images using a computer. A radiologist will evaluate the images and dictate a report within 24 hours. Your referring doctor will receive a copy of this report.
You will get the results of the exam from your referring doctor.
Connect with our team to set up your imaging test