Kinetics of lung clearance of 99mTc-DTPA in smoking patients with sarcoidosis compared to healthy smokers

Investigation of lung clearance of 99mTc-labelled diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) in smoking sarcoid patients has been impeded by difficulties to differ between pathology of clearance kinetics caused by sarcoidosis and by smoking. This study explores the kinetics of lung clearance of 99mTc-DTPA in 15 current smokers with intrathoracic sarcoidosis. The results are compared with findings from 16 healthy smokers. Measurements of lung clearance over 180 min, i.e. longer than usual, revealed in II of the sarcoid patients a bi-exponential lung clearance course, which is pathologic. All healthy smokers also showed a bi-exponential lung clearance. In the analysis of the bi-exponential curve an initial fast, and a slow clearance component could be separated. The smokers with sarcoidosis had a significantly higher elimination rate of the slow component than the healthy smokers. Thus, analysis of the late part of the lung clearance curve may be rewarding in smoking sarcoid patients. The study shows that lung clearance of 99mTc-DTPA may be a method useful also in smoking patients with sarcoidosis.