Bronchoalveolar lavage and technetium-99m glucoheptonate imaging in chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.
A patient with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia was evaluated using bronchoalveolar lavage, technetium-99m glucoheptonate, and transbronchial lung biopsy. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed 43 percent eosinophils and correlated well with results of transbronchial lung biopsy. Technetium-99m glucoheptonate lung imaging demonstrated intense parenchymal uptake. After eight weeks of corticosteroid therapy, the bronchoalveolar lavage eosinophil population and the technetium-99m glucoheptonate uptake had returned to normal. We suggest that bronchoalveolar lavage, with transbronchial lung biopsy, is a less invasive way than open lung biopsy to diagnose chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. The mechanism of uptake of technetium-99m glucoheptonate in this disorder remains to be defined.
D000368:Aged; D001980:Bronchi; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013400:Sugar Acids; D013667:Technetium; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D013400:Sugar Acids; D013667:Technetium; C100014:technetium Tc 99m gluceptate