H. Durak et al., LUNG CLEARANCE OF INHALED TC-99(M)-ERYTHROMYCIN LACTOBIONATE IN NONSMOKERS AND SMOKERS, Nuclear medicine communications, 17(10), 1996, pp. 895-901
Tc-99(m)-labelled erythromycin lactobionate (Tc-99(m)-EL) was used as
a radioaerosol for lung ventilation imaging in humans after animal stu
dies had shown slow clearance of Tc-99(m)-EL from the alveolar spaces.
We performed inhalation studies in 26 volunteers: 11 non-smokers, 13
smokers (3 of whom smoked one cigarette just before inhalation of Tc-9
9(m)-EL) and 2 patients with pulmonary emboli (PE). The PE patients we
re imaged by both Tc-99(m)-EL and xenon-133 (Xe-133) for comparison. T
he image quality with Tc-99(m)-EL was comparable to that with Xe-133,
showing good peripheral penetration. The biological clearance half-lif
es for Tc-99(m)-EL were 3.9 +/- 1.1 h in the non-smokers, 5.9 +/- 2.2
h in the smokers and 9.8 +/- 6.6 h in the three subjects who smoked a
cigarette just before inhalation of the aerosol. Tc-99(m)-EL was clear
ed more slowly in the smokers and after smoke exposure, which could ha
ve indicated alveolar macrophage uptake. Tc-99(m)-EL can be used as an
alternative to Tc-99(m)-diethylenetriamine pentaacetate ((99)Tc(m)DTP
A) in ventilation imaging, thus overcoming the problem of the fast cle
arance of Tc-99(m)-DTPA in smokers.