Tc-99m radioaerosol clearance as an index of pulmonary epithelial permeability

This investigation examines radiopharmaceutical clearance as an index of alveolar-capillary membrane permeability and as an indicator of disease. Specific objectives include: evaluation of radiopharmaceutical chemical purity following aerosolization, investigation of a chemically related family of compounds to develop new radiopharmaceuticals with improved chemical properties, determination of reproducibility of the radiopharmaceutical clearance technique and the evaluation of the sensitivity of aerosolized solute clearance as an indicator of lung injury. The integrity of the radiopharmaceutical was examined prior to and following aerosol generation. The in vivo pharmacokinetics of a family of aerosolized solutes was evaluated in the beagle dog. The reproducibility of the biological response to radiopharmaceutical deposition was evaluated using dynamic functional imaging in humans and in the beagle. The sensitivity of the technique was evaluated using Tc-99m DTPA and an animal model for lung injury