Technetium-99m-DTPA erosol and Gallium-67 Scanning in Pulmonary Complications of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

We retrospectively compared the results of 67Ga chest scans and 99r"Tc-DTPA aerosol clearance measurements with those of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in 88 patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Of 100 investigations, a pul-monary infection was diagnosed in 39, mainly Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and a noninfectious disorder was found in 42, mainly Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphocytic alveolitis. Gal-lium scans and DTPA clearance were abnormal respectively in 74 % and 92 % of infectious complications, and in 12 % and 60 % of noninfectious disorders. In 10 cases, DTPA clearance was accelerated, while chest x-ray, arterial blood gases and even gallium scanning were normal. A value of DTPA clear-ance>4.5%-min-1 was both sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. The gallium scan was always normal in bronchopulmonary Kaposi's sar