Accelerated pulmonary clearance of aerosolized Tc-99m Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA) in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism

Measurement of pulmonary clearance of inhaled Tc-99mDTPA aerosol as a marker of pulmonary damage was performed in a 36-year-old female on whom metastatic calcification was demonstrated in the lungs on a bone scan. Metastatic calcification was the result of metabolic abnormalities due to primary hyperparathyroidism. The pulmonary clearance rate of inhaled Tc-99m DTPA showed significant acceleration in both lungs. The patient underwent parathyroidectomy for right superior parathyroid adenoma. Follow-up bone scan and Tc-99m DTPA aerosol clearance studies conducted one year after surgery did not reveal any abnormality. (author)