Bronchial and pulmonary scintigraphy with radioactively marked aerosols

In 97 patients with bronchitis, bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis, or tumors the mucociliary clearance and/or deposit pattern after inhalation of radioactively marked aerosols (1 mCi 99m Tc sulfur colloid) was studied. Normal values of the mucociliary 30 min. clearance for the central bronchial/lung periphery are 21%/15%. There was a decreased clearance with bronchitis (11/8%), bronchial asthma, emphysema, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, trachiobronchial amyloidosis, pleural scarring or interstitial pneumona. Increased clearance (29/19%) was shown with pneumoconiosis. The correlation of deposit pattern and disease, for example, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, bullous emphysema, pleural scarring, partial lung resection, bronchopneumonia, or bronchial restriction, is described. In comparison of aerosol scintigraphy to perfusion scintigraphy and ventilation with gaseous xenon, the aerosol scintigraphy is superior to xenon for certain indications. The aerosol particles, which are larger in comparison to xenon, settle easier by obstructions or flow variations and thereby give better clinical indications of regional differences. (orig.)