Abstract
The value of perfusion scintigraphy as a screening test for children who have suffered from several episodes of recurrent localized pneumonia was evaluated in 32 patients aged 1–15 years. Perfusion studies were carried out using macroaggregated albumin (MAA) labeled with technetium 99m. In 9 patients (28%), large lobar or multisegmental perfusion defects were demonstrated. Their final diagnoses proved to be bronchiectasis (5 patients), bronchomalacia (2 cases), agenesis of a lobe (1 subject), and lobar sequestration (1 patient). In 23 children (72%), the perfusion scintigraphic patterns were normal or diffusely nonhomogeneous. All of these patients improved clinically on a 1 to 2.9-year follow-up. We conclude that a normal perfusion scintigraphy is a useful screening test for excluding structural lung abnormalities in pediatric patients with recurrent localized pneumonia. Children showing a pattern of lobar or multisegmental perfusion defects should be further investigated to rule out structural abnormalities as an underlying cause of disease.
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Hardoff, R., Rivlin, J. & Front, A. The contribution of perfusion scintigraphy in the evaluation of children suffering from recurrent localized pneumonia. Eur J Nucl Med 17, 152–155 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00811444
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00811444