Ventilation-perfusion patterns in lung diseases (with reference to those observed in pulmonary embolism).

The frequency distributions of ventilation-perfusion (V-P) patterns in various lung diseases were compared to those observed in pulmonary embolism in order to determine whether the specific V-P patterns for pulmonary embolism constituted a frequent finding in these disorders. The results showed that a segmental or lobar perfusion defect with normal ventilation, was associated with a high probability of thromboembolic lung disease, and was not present in any of the other lung diseases studied.