title: Variability of tracheobronchial clearance in healthy non-smoking subjects.
abstract: Tracheobronchial clearance was measured twice in 10 healthy non-smoking volunteers to evaluate inter- and intrasubject variability, using a radio-aerosol technique (5 microns 99mTc-labelled polystyrene particles). By means of two detectors radioactivity in the lungs was measured at regular intervals for 6 h and once more 24 h after inhalation. The decrease in radioactivity after correction for background activity, isotope decay and 24-hour retention was assumed to reflect tracheobronchial clearance. Among other parameters to quantitate the results of these tests, the area under the retention curve up to 6 h after inhalation (AUC-6) was calculated. The intersubject coefficient of variation (COV) using the AUC-6 was 31%. The intrasubject COV of the AUC-6 was 11%. These results compare favourably with those reported by others using different techniques. It is concluded that the intrasubject variability of tracheobronchial clearance as measured by this technique is small.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Hengstum
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Festen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Buijs
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Broek
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corstens
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001980:Bronchi / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance; D015588:Observer Variation; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014915:Whole-Body Counting
chemical_list: D011137:Polystyrenes