Annals of nuclear medicine
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Technetium-99m-DTPA aerosol scintigraphy in amiodarone induced pulmonary toxicity in comparison with Ga-67 scintigraphy.
Amiodarone hydrochloride, which is used in life-threatening cardiac tachyarrhythmia, has been known to cause amiodarone induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT) as a complication. In this study we aimed to investigate the clinical value of technetium-99m diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) aerosol lung scintigraphy in patients with AIPT in comparison with gallium-67 (Ga-67) scan. The study group included 26 cases, 7 patients with diagnosis of AIPT (Group A), 8 patients receiving amiodarone therapy but without AIPT (Group B) and 11 healthy subjects as a control group (Group C). ⋯ Early changes in Tc-99m-DTPA clearance may be observed in patients receiving amiodarone. The kep value in patients with AIPT is noticeably increased with respect to the control group. With its favorable physical properties, low cost, lower radiation burden and its ability to be used as an objective measure for the pulmonary clearance rate, Tc-99m-DTPA aerosol scintigraphy appears to be promising in patients receiving amiodarone therapy.