The influence of age on the pulmonary clearance of 99Tcm-DTPA radioaerosol
- 1 December 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Nuclear Medicine Communications
- Vol. 9 (12) , 965-971
- https://doi.org/10.1097/00006231-198812000-00004
Abstract
Age-dependent changes of 99Tcm-DTPA radioaerosol transpulmonary clearance have been investigated in 49 healthy volunteers with an age range of 21–63 years. The clearance was uniformly increased in all smokers irrespective of age, but it showed a highly significant (p < 0.001) decrease in non-smoking patients over 50 years. Several age-related changes in the ageing lung can contribute to this decreased clearance, but the reduced alveolar-capillary surface area available for the transport is probably the key factor. The practical implication of the results is the need to use age-related normal ranges when interpreting 99Tcm-DTPA radioaerosol clearance studies.Keywords
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