Accelerated Pulmonary Clearance of Aerosolized Tc-99m-Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA) in a Patient with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Measurement of pulmonary clearance of inhaled Tc-99m DTPA aerosol as a marker of pulmonary damage was performed in a 36-year-old female on whom metastatic calcification was demonstrated in the lungs on a bone scan. Metastatic calcification was the result of metabolic abnormalities due primary hyperparathyroidism. The pulmonary clearance rate of inhaled Tc-99m DTPA showed significant acceleration in both lungs. The patient underwent parathyroidectomy for right superior parathyroid adenoma. Follow-up bone scan and Tc-99m DTPA aerosol clearance studies conducted one year after surgery did not reveal any abnormality