Transient increase in alveolar epithelial permeability induced by volatileanesthesia with isoflurane

Fifteen patients undergoing surgery and receiving volatile anesthesia with isoflurane were enrolled as the study group. At the same time, 15 patients undergoing surgery with intravenous anesthesia drugs were included as a con trol group to compare each other. Before surgery, 1 h after surgery, and 1 week after surgery, we investigated these two groups of patients with techn etium-99m-labeled diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid radioaerosol inhalat ion lung scan (DTPA lung scan), a test to evaluate lung ventilation (LV), w hich was evaluated by the first and equilibrium lung ventilation image and alveolar epithelial permeability (AP) which was evaluated by the half time (T1/2, minutes) of Tc-99m DTPA radioaerosol lung clearance. No significant change and abnormality of LV before surgery, 1 h after surgery, or 1 week a fter surgery was found in either group of patients. In addition, no signifi cant change in AP before surgery (T1/2 = 64.0 +/- 17.3 min), 1 h after surg ery (64.5 +/- 19.6 min), or 1 week after surgery (63.6 +/- 17.6 min) was fo und among the control group patients (p values > 0.05). However, a signific ant transient increase in AP was found in the study group 1 h after surgery (71.7 +/- 17.5 versus 51.2 +/- 16.4 min), but it recovered I week after su rgery (51.2 +/- 16.4 versus 70.9 +/- 16.0 min) (p values < 0.05). We conclu de that volatile anesthesia with isoflurane can induce transient increase o f AP.