Increasing the accuracy of lung perfusion scintigraphy in children with bidirectional Glenn circulation.
BACKGROUND
In children who have undergone a bidirectional Glenn procedure without antegrade or additional pulmonary blood flow, we have often noted a discrepancy between apparent lung perfusion on scintigraphy and superior vena cava angiography when evaluating right and left pulmonary blood flow. We found a tendency for radionuclide, tracer 99mTc-MAA, when administered through a single upper extremity vein, to preferentially accumulate in the ipsilateral lung.


OBJECTIVE
In the present study, we examined whether the ratio of right-to-left pulmonary flow varied when 99mTc-MAA was administered via either the right upper or the left upper extremity vein.


METHODS
We studied six children (median age 1.3 ± 0.23 years) who underwent a bidirectional Glenn before total cavopulmonary connection. Five children who underwent biventricular repair served as a control. Perfusion scintigraphy using 99mTc-labeled macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) was performed in all children. First, we injected radionuclide via the right upper extremity and calculated the pulmonary accumulation in both lungs (R-image). Second, we injected the same dose of radionuclide via the left upper extremity and calculated the pulmonary accumulation (B-image), which represented the resulting administration via both upper extremities. The lung accumulation that resulted from radionuclide administration via the left upper extremity (L-image) was determined by subtracting the R-image from the B-image. We evaluated the right-to-total pulmonary blood flow ratio (radionuclide accumulation in right lung / radionuclide accumulation in both lungs) in the R-, L- and B-images.


RESULTS
The right-to-total pulmonary blood flow ratios in the R-, L- and B-images were 815 ± 15.3%, 39.8 ± 11.7% and 61.3 ± 11.8%, respectively, and there were significant differences among the three images (P < 0.01). On the other hand, in the control group, the right-to-total pulmonary blood flow ratios in the R-, L- and B-images were 59.3 ± 22.4%, 57.8 ± 26.4% and 58.8 ± 23.7%, respectively, and there was no significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
In children with bidirectional Glenn circulation without antegrade or additional pulmonary blood flow, the venous blood of each arm tends to flow into the ipsilateral lung. The administration of radionuclide via both arms is important for accurate evaluation of lung perfusion scintigraphy in children who have undergone a bidirectional Glenn procedure.
Fukuda
Yutaka
Y
Department of Pediatrics, Takeda General Hospital, Aizu Wakamatsu-shi, Fukushima, Japan. yfuku@takeda.or.jp
Momoi
Nobuo
N
Mitomo
Masaki
M
Aoyagi
Yoshimichi
Y
Endo
Kisei
K
Matsumoto
Ayumi
A
Hosoya
Mitsuaki
M
D000465:Algorithms; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011666:Pulmonary Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D018785:Tricuspid Atresia / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin