Serial 67Ga lung scanning in pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma.

Chest radiographs and pulmonary function tests are used as non-invasive techniques for the clinical management and guide to treatment in patients with diffuse interstitial pulmonary disease. The serial use of these tests may not give a true indication of the pathological activity of the disease process in the lung. Pulmonary function tests often remain abnormal despite inactivity of the pathological reaction, and may be insensitive to subtle changes in activity that may occur in pro, gressive pulmonary fibrosis (Niden et al, 1976). Conit I sidering the associated morbidity and mortality of repeated lung biopsy, a sensitive non-invasive technique that could be used serially to detect pathological activity may prove important for clinical management of these patients. Gallium-67 ('-Ga) lung scanning has been used in the detection and progression of pulmonary malignancies, infection, sarcoidosis (McKusick et al, 1973), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (Line et al, 1976). The definitive value of serial "7Ga lung scanning for detecting activity in interstitial lung disease remains to be established. This is the first reported case of pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma in which serial 67Ga lung scans, simultaneous chest radiographs, and pulmonary function tests were obtained over a period of b eight months. These serial studies support the concept that uptake of "7Ga by pulmonary parenchyma parallels the active inflammatory process.