Technetium 99m-diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid aerosol clearance in the evaluation of pulmonary involvement in sickle cell disease.

Background: Pulmonary clearance of inhaled technetium (Tc) 99m-labeled diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) aerosol is a sensitive non-invasive marker of alveolar permeability and patients with interstitial lung diseases show enhanced clearance. However, a previous study in adult patients with diabetes mellitus showed delayed clearance.

Objectives: To investigate DTPA clearance in steady-state, otherwise healthy adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and correlate it with pulmonary function tests (PFTs), hematologic and clinical parameters.