The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Bronchoscintigraphic visualization of the acute effect of tobacco exposure and terbutaline on mucociliary clearance in smokers.
The aim of this study was to examine the acute effect of tobacco smoke exposure and inhaled terbutaline on mucociliary clearance in 9 healthy smokers. It was based on a recently described method for scintigraphic visualization of the bronchi (bronchoscintigraphy). After an initial bronchoscintigram had been made by having the subjects inhale aerosolized 99mTc-albumin, they inhaled either terbutaline or placebo from a metered-dose inhaler. ⋯ In all subjects terbutaline systematically increased the clearance rate in all visible bronchial structures compared to placebo (p less than 0.04). The combination of smoking and terbutaline caused a faster clearance rate in the lobar bronchi in most subjects than tobacco smoke or terbutaline alone. It is concluded that both acute tobacco exposure and terbutaline increase mucociliary clearance in healthy smokers.