title: Usefulness of pulmonary vascular leakiness assessment in interstitial pneumonitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pulmonary vascular leakiness of (67)Ga-circulating transferrin in interstitial pneumonitis (IP) was estimated by our previously described method, and its ability to evaluate disease activity was compared with conventional (67)Ga scintigraphy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using 30-min dynamic scanning data after IV injection of (67)Ga citrate, the exponential equilibration coefficient of (67)Ga between the intravascular and pulmonary interstitial compartments was calculated and defined as the leak index (LI). Pulmonary (67)Ga uptake was assessed by gallium index, determined by conventional static images taken 48 h after (67)Ga citrate injection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospitalized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 17 control patients and 20 patients with IP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean LI in patients with IP was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.0001), whereas no significant increase in gallium index was noted between the IP group and the control group. No significant correlation was found between gallium index and LI among all study participants. Mean LI in patients with active IP was significantly higher than in patients with stable IP (p = 0.0024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An increase in pulmonary vascular leakiness was found in patients with IP. LI may be useful to assess the disease activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tokyo Electric Power Company Hospital, Keio University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. ishiz@attglobal.net
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishizaka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes