Air leaks localized with lung ventilation SPECT

Clin Nucl Med. 2012 Dec;37(12):1182-3. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e318263909a.

Abstract

A 61-year-old man with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presented to our hospital with recurrence of a right-sided spontaneous secondary pneumothorax. Thoracoscopic abrasion of the parietal pleura was performed, but an important air leak persisted. Presumed to originate from a bulla in the right upper lobe, bullectomy and pleural decortication were performed, but leakage remained. Lobectomy was considered, and quantitative ventilation/perfusion SPECT was performed to predict the functional outcome.Fused high-resolution CT/Tc Technegas images localized leakage not only to a bleb in the right upper lobe but also to the subcutaneous emphysema in the thoracic wall. The air leak resolved after conservative treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Air*
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging*
  • Lung / physiopathology*
  • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Diseases, Obstructive / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pulmonary Ventilation*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*