[Clinical significance of gallium-67 scintigraphy in assessing pulmonary lesions of sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].
To evaluate whether one can predict the course and prognosis of interstitial lung diseases from lung gallium-67 (67Ga) uptake, we studied 31 subjects with sarcoidosis and 28 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) retrospectively. We quantified the lung 67Ga uptake using posterior scans by Line's method, and calculated a visual index (VI). The normal range of 67Ga uptake was defined as less than 65 VI values, obtained from the 95 percent confidence interval of the control subjects. All subjects with stage I sarcoidosis, having only bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (BHL) on chest X-ray, revealed normal lung 67Ga uptake. Fifty percent of patients with stage II sarcoidosis, with both BHL and pulmonary involvement on chest X-ray, showed increased lung 67Ga uptake. The patients with increased lung 67Ga uptake showed decreased percent vital capacity and increased alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference, but none of them showed clinical deterioration during the follow-up period of more than 6 months. Fifty-four percent of subjects with IPF showed increased lung 67Ga uptake. But there was no difference between the subgroups with normal and increased lung 67Ga uptake with respect to the severity of dyspnea, percent vital capacity, arterial oxygen tension, or alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference. There was also no difference between the two subgroups of IPF in the cumulative percent survival after either the onset of symptoms or the 67Ga scintigram. We conclude that lung 67Ga uptake was not able to predict the clinical course or the prognosis of patients with sarcoidosis and IPF.
Fujishima
S
S
Department of Medicine and Radiology, School of Medicine, Keio University.
Kanazawa
M
M
Yamasawa
F
F
Kubo
A
A
Hashimoto
S
S
Yokoyama
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology
D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes