Reliability of on-call radiology residents' interpretation of 64-slice CT pulmonary angiography for the detection of pulmonary embolism.

BackgroundComputed tomography (CT) angiography for pulmonary embolism (PE) is the present standard for diagnosing PE. In many teaching hospitals, radiology residents are the first to review the case and to make an initial interpretation of the images. Accurate diagnosis of PE is crucial, especially in the emergency care setting.PurposeTo evaluate the discrepancies between resident and staff interpretations of 64-slice CT angiogram for PE.Material and MethodsDiscrepancies between the preliminary reports by the on-call radiology resident were compared to the final report by the staff radiologist in 215 consecutive cases of 64-slice CT angiogram performed for PE, from May 2005 to March 2008.ResultsDiscrepancies were noted in 25 of the 215 studies (11.6%). These residents’ discrepancies consisted of three false-positive, four false-negative, and 18 equivocal cases. There was a decrease in the discrepancy rate from the second year to the fifth year of training by approximately 60%.ConclusionThe rate of discrep...