Use of the Scintillation Anger Camera and Xenon Xe 133 in the Study of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

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Pulmonary ventilation and perfusion were studied in 12 normal subjects and 40 patients with obstructive lung disease. Xenon Xe 133 and the scintillation Anger camera were used. Serial photographs were obtained after injection, inhalation, and washout of xenon Xe 133. The distribution of blood flow and ventilation was studied in these photographs. Normal subjects presented uniform distribution of perfusion and ventilation. Preferential blood flow to the bases was noted because the patients were in the upright position. Patients with severe, chronic, obstructive lung disease showed regions of poor ventilation with or without areas of impaired perfusion. The scintiphotographs were found to be a valuable addition to the study of regional lung function, since they permit identification and mapping of areas of impaired perfusion or of poor ventilation.