title: Interatrial right-to-left shunt after lung surgery: diagnostic value of perfusion lung scanning.
abstract: A 61-year-old woman presented with platypnea and orthodeoxia after right pneumonectomy for lung cancer. A perfusion lung scan taken after tracer injection in the sitting position showed an extrapulmonary uptake of radioactivity consistent with a right-to-left shunt. Such extrapulmonary uptake was no longer evident when tracer was injected in supine posture. The authors emphasize the value of perfusion lung scanning in the assessment of patients with unexplained dyspnea after thoracic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Università di Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100, Italy. marini@ifc.cnr.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miniati
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pratali
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tonelli
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carminati
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Formichi
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Ricco
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boldrini
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiorotti
authors.forename: Ottavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Giampietro
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen