Radioaerosol scintigraphy in infants and children born to mothers with HIV disease. Pediatric Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Complications (of Vertically Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Study Group.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the usefulness of technetium 99m diethyltriaminepentacetic acid (DTPA) radioaerosol inhalation-clearance scintigraphy for early detection of pulmonary complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in children.


METHODS
A total of 301 studies were performed in 132 HIV-positive children (group 1; mean age, 46.6 months). In children born to HIV-positive mothers (group 2), 273 studies were performed in 160 children who eventually were proved to be HIV negative (mean age, 10.3 months), and 80 studies were performed in 47 HIV-positive children (mean age, 15.6 months). Radioaerosol studies were performed by using commercially available radioaerosol nebulizers. Pulmonary clearance half-time was measured by using conventional gamma camera computer systems. Radioaerosol results were correlated with indexes of pulmonary health and function.


RESULTS
The HIV-negative, group 2 children had a mean radioaerosol clearance half-time (58.1 minutes; 162 studies in 108 children) similar to that reported in healthy adults. Group 1 children with pulmonary involvement exhibited a faster mean clearance half-time (28.6 minutes) than did children without evidence of pulmonary involvement from either group 1 or group 2 (P < .05). A faster pulmonary clearance rate did not simply reflect the presence of chest disease that also was detectable on radiographs (P = .3).


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative DTPA radioaerosol clearance studies may provide useful information about pulmonary involvement in selected children with HIV disease.
Alderson
P O
PO
Dept of Radiology, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Chen
D C
DC
Fleishman
M J
MJ
Hoh
C K
CK
Kim
C K
CK
Lee
V W
VW
Mellins
R B
RB
Miller
J H
JH
Moore
W H
WH
Peavy
H H
HH
Shah
A
A
Treves
S T
ST
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D000336:Aerosols; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003199:Computer Systems; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000635:transmission; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000336:Aerosols; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate