Diagnosis of adult respiratory distress syndrome with Tc-99m human serum albumin and portable probe

Abstract

A gamma-camera and computer were used to measure pulmonary accumulation of technetium-99m human serum albumin in 15 patients who met the criteria for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and in ten asymptomatic patients. The ratio of lung to blood-pool activity increased in ARDS patients, but did not change in nonARDS patients. Lung to heart measurements by a portable probe with scaler correlated well with those obtained simultaneously with the gamma-camera and computer: probe measurements over 60 min increased significantly (p less than .0001) more in ten ARDS patients than in the nonARDS patients or in five postARDS patients, three with pneumonia and two with congestive heart failure. We conclude that the probe with scaler is sensitive enough to detect abnormal pulmonary accumulation of albumin in ARDS patients.