Technetium-99m-HMPAO as a marker of chemical and irradiation lung injury: experimental and clinical investigations.
We evaluated the ability of 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) to serve as a sensitive marker of lung injury.


METHODS
Two experimental rabbit models of minimal lung injury were designed using injections of a low dose (0.05 ml/kg) of oleic acid or 50 Gy of irradiation. In addition, we clinically investigated whether patients who received chemotherapy (n = 14) or radiotherapy (n = 13) for lung cancer showed high uptake of 99mTc-HMPAO in the lungs.


RESULTS
Despite the minimal endothelial lesions visualized by electron microscopy (edematous changes and blebbing), in both animal models, the lungs showed high uptake of 99mTc-HMPAO, which occurred rapidly within 1 min after injection. Clinically, the mean lung-to-liver ratio of 99mTc-HMPAO activity in the patients who received chemotherapy (0.649 +/- 0.185, p < 0.01) was significantly higher than that of the controls (n = 16; 0.387 +/- 0.108), and all 12 patients who received more than 30 Gy of irradiation showed abnormal uptake in the irradiated lungs, despite the lack of abnormal opacities on chest CT.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that 99mTc-HMPAO has the potential to be a sensitive marker of chemical and irradiation lung injury.
Suga
K
K
Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
Uchisako
H
H
Nishigauchi
K
K
Shimizu
K
K
Kume
N
N
Yamada
N
N
Nakanishi
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019301:Oleic Acid; D009829:Oleic Acids; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D011817:Rabbits; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009829:Oleic Acids; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019301:Oleic Acid; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime