Usefulness of Lung Perfusion Scan for the Evaluation of Pulmonary Arteries after Total Correction of Right Ventricular Outflow Obstructive Disease

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: For the evaluation of pulmonary nrtery branches after operation of right ventricular outflow obstructive disease, we reviewed the usefulness of both simple X-ray and lung perfusion scan with 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin compared with cardiac angiography. METHODS: From March, 1986 to July, 1993, at Seoul National University Children;s Hospital, we chose 23 cases who underwent both simple X-ray and cardiac angiography among the patients who had distinct difference between right and left pulmonary blood flow in lung perfusion scan after operation of right ventricular outflow obstructive disease. So we calculated the ratio of right and left pulmonary blood flow and Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Of the 23 cases, 17 cases were tetralogy of Fallot, 4 cases pulmonary atresia, 1 case double outlet right ventricle, and 1 case truncus arteriosus. The mean age at poeration was 27 months, and the mean postoperative follow-up period was for 68 months. The correlation coefficient between cardiac angiography and simple X-ray was 0.86(p<0.01), and that beteen cardiac angiography and lung perfusion scan was 0.80(p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The cardiac angiography has been known as the best diagnostic tool for the evaluation of pulmonary artery branches after operation of right ventricular outflow obstructive ddisease, but we proposed that the lung perfusion scan should be widely used because its results were similar with those of cardiac angiography.