OBJECTIVETo evaluate the degree of pulmonary hypertension in patients with rheumatic heart disease using radionuclide pulmonary perfusion imaging.

METHODSThe pulmonary perfusion in 25 patients with rheumatic heart disease was examined using scintigram with macroaggregates of (99m)Tc-labeled human serum albumin (PPS) before and 7 days after operation. PPS was analyzed for (1) pulmonary perfusion steady time (PT), right upper and lower lung count ratio (RULR). The results were compared with those of catheterization examination during the operation.

RESULTSThe pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PAs) and total pulmonary resistance (TPR) were (60 +/- 21) mm Hg and (421 +/- 106) dyn if PT > or = 20 seconds and RULR > or = 2; The PAs and TPR were (28 +/- 5) mm Hg and (188 +/- 28) dyn if PT < 20 seconds and RULR < 2. The PPS changed in most of the patients during early operation.

CONCLUSIONThe degree of injury in pulmonary vascular in patients with rheumatic heart disease could be quantitatively analysed by PPS.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; complications ; Systole ; Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin ; Vascular Resistance

Extramedullary pulmonary hematopoiesis is a rare entity with a limited number of case reports in the available literature only. We report the case of a 66-year-old man with known primary myelofibrosis, in whom a Technetium-99m sulfur colloid bone marrow scan with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT revealed a pulmonary hematopoiesis as the cause of pulmonary hypertension and severe tricuspid regurgitation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of Technetium-99m sulfur colloid SPECT/CT imaging in this rare condition.
Aged ; Bone Marrow/*radionuclide imaging ; *Hematopoiesis, Extramedullary ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/*etiology/radionuclide imaging ; Lung/*radionuclide imaging ; Male ; Primary Myelofibrosis/complications ; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid/diagnostic use ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency/*etiology/radionuclide imaging