Pulmonary calcification in chronic renal failure: use of diphosphonate scintiscan as a diagnostic tool.
A patient with end-stage renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis for fifty-five months presented with signs and symptoms of cardiorespiratory failure and chest X-ray evidence of cardiomegaly and persistent bilateral nodular lung densities. A lung scan employing a bone seeking radionuclide, 99 Tc Diphosphonate, revealed active uptake in all areas corresponding to the X-ray densities. It was concluded that these densities represented active calcification. Thus, a diagnosis of pulmonary calcification was established without the need to resort to lung biopsy. It is suggested that bone-seeking radionuclides may be employed effectively to help establish an early diagnosis of pulmonary calcification especially in high risk dialysis patients.
D000328:Adult; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004164:Diphosphonates; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D006962:Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D010280:Parathyroid Glands / Q000601:surgery; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013667:Technetium
D004164:Diphosphonates; D013667:Technetium