title: Non-invasive assessment of pulmonary blood supply after staged repair of pulmonary atresia.
abstract: Radionuclide studies were performed to determine pulmonary blood flow in six children who had undergone surgery for pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect, and hypoplastic pulmonary arteries with or without major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Lung blood flow was assessed from both particle perfusion lung scans and the pulmonary and systemic phase of a radionuclide dynamic flow study. Five patients had perfusion defects identified on the particle perfusion lung scan. In three of these, abnormal areas were perfused only during the systemic phase of the flow study, a combination of findings that indicate the presence of perfusion by collateral arteries. In one patient no systemic perfusion was noted and in one an initial particle perfusion study indicated the presence of a lung segment perfused by a collateral artery. In this last patient the particle perfusion scan after total correction showed a reduction in the size of the lung perfusion defect and no evidence of lung perfusion during the systemic phase of the flow study. The particle perfusion lung scan in the sixth patient showed pronounced asymmetry in blood flow to the lungs with no segmental perfusion defect on the particle perfusion scan and no abnormalities on the systemic flow study. It is concluded that radionuclide lung perfusion and flow studies provide useful information on lung perfusion and merit further evaluation to define their role in the management of these patients.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Torso
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kalff
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stellin
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Mee
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Venables
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities*; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000002:abnormalities*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m