Effect of inhaled furosemide on lung clearance of technetium-99m-DTPA. Inoue T, Shigeta M, Mochizuki H, Shimizu T, Morikawa A, Suzuki H, Watanabe N, Tateno M, Oriuchi N, Hirano T, et al Department of Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University, School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. The diuretic furosemide has been reported to have a protective effect on allergic asthmatic reactions. This study was performed to investigate the effect of aerosolized furosemide on the lung clearance of 99mTc-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA). METHODS: Pulmonary clearance rates of 99mTc-DTPA were measured by a computerized gamma camera with and without the inhalation of aerosol furosemide in 6 nonsmoking normal volunteers (Group 1), 7 smokers without pulmonary disease (Group 2) and 11 patients with asthma (Group 3). RESULTS: None of the six normal volunteers showed significant effects of inhaled furosemide on the 99mTc-DTPA clearance rates. Three of seven smokers presented an accelerated 99mTc-DTPA clearance by inhaled furosemide and the other four showed no significant change of 99mTc-DTPA clearance by furosemide inhalation. However, in 10 of 11 patients with asthma, there was significant suppression of 99mTc-DTPA clearance by furosemide inhalation. CONCLUSION: Asthmatics possess a furosemide-sensitive mechanism. Pulmonary aerosol scintigraphy with 99mTc-DTPA will be useful in predicting the effect of inhaled furosemide therapy. Publication Types:
PMID: 7799087, UI: 95097015 |