[99mTcDTPA-aerosol clearance in early diagnosis of pulmonary changes in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus].
Nineteen patients with active SLE and a control group of 20 healthy persons were investigated. We have made to all of them 99mTcDTPA-aerosol scintigraphy and the following pulmonary functional tests--Dc CO, Dm, Vc, HRCT. Accelerated clearance of 99mTcDTPA was found in all patients with active SLE. The half-elimination time T1/2 was shortened and varied between 22.6 +/- 4.7 min for the right one. It wasn't established correlative dependence between 99mTcDTPA and the pulmonary functional tests. In 36.8% of the patients HRCT was normal, while 99mTcDTPA clearance was accelerated. This fact shows, that 99mTcDTPA-aerozsol scintigraphy is more sensitive method for early diagnosis of pulmonary changes, than the pulmonary functional tests and HRCT.