Evaluation of alveolar integrity in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus using Tc-99m DTPA and HMPAO radioaerosol inhalation lung scintigraphies
Tsai, S.C.; Kao, C.H.; Lee, J.K.; Wang, S.J.
Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences 12(1): 12-17
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 1607-551X PMID: 8871283 Document Number: 462425
The alveolar integrity (AI) in 17 patients of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who had normal findings in the chest x-ray and pulmonary function test was measured by Tc-99m DTPA and HMPAO radioaerosol inhalation lung scintigraphies (DTPA and HMPAO). The degree of AI damage in NIDDM was presented as the slopes (%/min) of the time-activity curves from the dynamic of both lung imagings using DTPA and HMPAO. The AI of NIDDM patients was compared with the AI of 23 normal controls. The results show that (1) the slopes of DTPA were larger than those of HMPAO in any portion of either of the lungs for both of the study groups, and that (2) the slopes of DTPA and HMPAO were larger in NIDDM than those in normal controls over any portion of the lungs. The results suggest that (1) at least two different clearance mechanisms for aerosol particles in the lungs are at work; and (2) the AI damage in NIDDM developed in both the hydrophilic and lipophilic parts of the alveoli. In conclusion, the AI damage which appeared as larger slopes of DTPA/HMPAO in our study may be early findings of lung complications in NIDDM patients, which are different from the traditional studies such as chest x-ray or pulmonary function test.