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Tc-99m Technegas scintigraphy to evaluate the lung ventilation in patients with oral corticosteroid-dependent bronchial asthma

Annals of Nuclear Medicine volume 13, pages 247–251 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a clinical syndrome characterized by the reversibility of airway obstruction. Recently it has been suggested that remodeling of the airway causes irreversible airway obstruction which may be responsible for the patient’s symptoms. With this background, the purpose of the present study was to assess patients with corticosteroid-dependent asthma by Tc-99m Technegas scintigraphy (Technegas) in both planar and SPECT images. Twelve patients (7 females and 5 males aged 36–72 years with a median age of 60 years: 4 smokers and 8 non-smokers) with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma were enrolled in this study. Lung ventilation scanning with Technegas in both planar and SPECT images, high-resolution computed tomography, and pulmonary function tests were performed in all patients. The results of Technegas scanning were graded and correlations with other clinical parameters were evaluated. Significant abnormalities were detected by ventilation scintigraphy with Technegas in patients with corticosteroid-dependent bronchial asthma even during remission. Our data demonstrate that airflow obstruction took place in patients with corticosteroid-dependent asthma even during remission. Technegas scanning appears to be a useful radiopharmaceutical for demonstrating airflow obstruction in patients with bronchial asthma.

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Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa Medical University, 1750-1, Mikicho, Kita-gun, 761-0793, Kagawa, Japan

    Jiro Fujita, Hiroki Okada, Atsuko Momoi & Jiro Takahara

  2. Department of Pathology, Okayama University Medical School, Japan

    Kazue Takahashi, Katashi Satoh & Motoomi Ohkawa

  3. Department of Radiology, Kagawa Medical University, Japan

    Ichiro Yamadori

  4. Vice-president for Medical Affairs, Kagawa Medical University, Japan

    Masatada Tanabe

Authors
  1. Jiro Fujita
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  2. Kazue Takahashi
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  3. Katashi Satoh
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  4. Hiroki Okada
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  5. Atsuko Momoi
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  6. Ichiro Yamadori
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  7. Motoomi Ohkawa
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  8. Jiro Takahara
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  9. Masatada Tanabe
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Fujita, J., Takahashi, K., Satoh, K. et al. Tc-99m Technegas scintigraphy to evaluate the lung ventilation in patients with oral corticosteroid-dependent bronchial asthma. Ann Nucl Med 13, 247–251 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03164900

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03164900

Key words

  • steroid dependent asthma
  • Tc-99m Technegas
  • ventilation scintigraphy
  • planar images
  • SPECT images
  • subepithelial fibrosis