What is the significance of a triple match on a ventilation perfusion scan and chest radiograph?
A “triple match” refers to a ventilation scan defect and a perfusion scan defect that match each other and are also matched to an area of opacification on the corresponding chest radiograph. The implication of such a finding is that it might represent a pulmonary infarct resulting from pulmonary embolism. The revised PIOPED data indicate that a triple match defect in the upper or middle lung zones is still associated with the diagnosis of “PE absence” (or of a low probability for PE in the prior system), but in the lower lung zone is associated with a nondiagnostic result.
