Gallium-67 Scintigraphy of Pulmonary Diseases as a Complement to Radiography

Abstract

Gallium chest scans of 575 patients were analyzed for their clinical usefulness in conjunction with chest radiographs. The series included patients with pulmonary carcinoma, lymphoma, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis, and interstitial fibrosis. Gallum scintigraphy does not aid in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary diseases but is helpful in determining (a) the degree of activity of a known disease process: (b) treatment response, dosage, and duration; (c) the spatial extent of the disease; and (d) the presence of unsuspected disease foci hidden radiographically in the mediastinum, behind the heart, or in pleural or parenchymal scars.

Pulmonary Uptake of Gallium-67 in Asbestos-exposed Humans and Sheep1,2

“…4 Recipient of a scholarship from the Canadian Life Insurance Association. 5 Recipient of a scholarship from the Conseil de la Recherche en Santé du Québec. normalities were similarly graded.…”

“…Ihe pulmonary uptake of 67 Ga in the interstitial lung diseases is considered as an index of inflammatory activity (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7), which can be quantitated and which correlates with histopathologic and bronchoalveolar lavage cellularity (8,9). Because it is a safe, noninvasive, and easily repeatable procedure, it has been proposed as a means of monitoring the interstitial lung diseases (8,9).…”

Radionuclides in Pulmonary and Extra-Pulmonary Tuberculosis

“…Active disease results in a positive image in up to 97% of patients (Siemsen et al 1976(Siemsen et al , 1978Walsh et al 1985;Lin and Hsieh 1999). 67Ga is extremely valuable in differentiating active disease from established scarring, since inactive disease results in a negative image in up to 100% of patients (Siemsen et al 1978;Kao et al 1993).…”

Computer quantitation of gallium 67 lung uptake in crocidolite (blue asbestos) workers of Western Australia

“…In normal lung tissue, gallium 67 uptake is minimal, but in a variety of pulmonary diseases including asbestosis, increased 67Ga accumulation is found (Siemsen et al 1976). In interstitial lung diseases, the widest experience in the use of 6VGa scanning has been in patients with Offprint requests to: A. Hayes, Isotope Imaging, 30 Ord Street, West Perth, Western Australia 6005 sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, xn whom there is a strong correlation between the amount of 67Ga uptake and the intensity of "alveolitis", despite the fact that the type of alveolitis in the two disorders is markedly different (Crystal et al 1981).…”