Correlation of 68Ga Ventilation-Perfusion PET/CT with Pulmonary Function Test Indices for Assessing Lung Function

摘要

id="p-2">Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are routinely used to assess lung function, but they do not provide information about regional pulmonary dysfunction. We aimed to assess correlation of quantitative ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) PET/CT with PFT indices. >Methods: Thirty patients underwent V/Q PET/CT and PFT. Respiration-gated images were acquired after inhalation of 68Ga-carbon nanoparticles and administration of 68Ga-macroaggregated albumin. Functional volumes were calculated by dividing the volume of normal ventilated and perfused (%NVQ), unmatched and matched defects by the total lung volume. These functional volumes were correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). >Results: All functional volumes were significantly different in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (P 0.05). FEV1/FVC and %NVQ had the highest correlation (r = 0.82). FEV1 was also best correlated with %NVQ (r = 0.64). DLCO was best correlated with the volume of unmatched defects (r = a?’0.55). Considering %NVQ only, a cutoff value of 90% correctly categorized 28 of 30 patients with or without significant pulmonary function impairment. >Conclusion: Our study demonstrates strong correlations between V/Q PET/CT functional volumes and PFT parameters. Because V/Q PET/CT is able to assess regional lung function, these data support the feasibility of its use in radiation therapy and preoperative planning and assessing pulmonary dysfunction in a variety of respiratory diseases.