Ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
Childhood post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is an infrequent lung disease leading to narrowing and/or complete obliteration of small airways. Ventilation and perfusion (V/Q) scan can provide both regional and global pulmonary information. However, only few retrospective researches investigating post-infectious BO involved V/Q scan, the clinical value of this method is unknown. This preliminary prospective study was aimed to evaluate the correlation of V/Q scan with disease severity, pulmonary function test results, and prognosis in children with post-infectious BO.


METHODS
Twenty-five post-infectious BO children (18 boys and 7 girls; mean age, 41 months) underwent V/Q scan and pulmonary function tests. Patients were followed after their inclusion. Ventilation index and perfusion index obtained from V/Q scan were used to measure pulmonary abnormalities. Spearman's rank correlation test of ventilation index and perfusion index on disease severity, lung function tests indices, and follow-up results were performed.


RESULTS
The median follow-up period was 4.6 years (range, 2.2 to 5.0 years). Ventilation index and perfusion index were both correlated with disease severity (r = 0.72, p<0.01 and r = 0.73, p<0.01), but only ventilation index was related to pulmonary function tests results (all p<0.05). In addition, Spearman test yielded significant correlations between perfusion index and prognosis (r = 0.77, p<0.01), and ventilation index and prognosis (r = 0.63, p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
For children with post-infectious BO, the present study preliminarily indicated that the degree of ventilation and perfusion abnormalities evaluated by V/Q scan may be used to assess disease severity, and may be predictive of patient's outcome.
Department of Cardiology, Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Department of Nuclear Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Bo-Qia
BQ
Xie
Department of Respiration, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Wei
W
Wang
Department of Thoracic surgery, Institute of Respiratory Disease, Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Wen-Qian
WQ
Zhang
Department of Nuclear Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Xin-Hua
XH
Guo
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Min-Fu
MF
Yang
Department of Nuclear Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Li
L
Wang
Department of Nuclear Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Zuo-Xiang
ZX
He
Department of Nuclear Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center of Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Yue-Qin
YQ
Tian
D001989:Bronchiolitis Obliterans / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests