Noninvasive measurement of regional lung water distribution in healthy man and in pulmonary oedema

A quasi steady-state noninvasive, radioisotopic technique for measuring regional lung water distribution in man is described. The method depends upon the dilution principle. 123I labelled human serum albumin (HSA) and sodium iodide (NaI) were injected intravenously, allowed to mix completely within the body fluids and then counted externally over the chest. The size of each compartment to which the markers are confined was calculated from the external count rate and the isotopic concentration of the marker in plasma. 123I-HSA was used to estimate intravascular water and 123I-NaI extracellular water. Ratio analysis of the differential attenuation of the two photoenergies of 123Iodine (29 keV, 159 keV) by the lung and chest wall was used to estimate the absolute amount of isotope in the lung, independent of chest wall contribution, after validation by phantom studies. Regional pulmonary plasma (PPVr) and interstitial (PIVr) fluid volumes in normal subjects were 7.1 +/- 1.4 and 7.6 +/- 1.3 ml.100 cm-3 lung (mean +/- SD; n = 13) at mid-tidal volume, respectively. In patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome, PPVr and PIVr were 7.0 +/- 2.9 and 15.9 +/- 4.6 ml.100 cm-3 lung (n = 18), respectively. The pulmonary artery wedge (Paw) pressure was normal (12.5 +/- 2.5 mmHg; n = 5). In patients with pulmonary oedema due to left heart disease, PPVr and PIVr were 7.2 +/- 2.7 and 12.1 +/- 3.7 ml.100 cm-3 lung (n = 8), respectively. The mean Paw pressure in this group was high (28.5 +/- 3.9 mmHg).