Radioisotope Scanning in Experimental Lung Transplantation

¹ Division of Experimental Surgery, Wellesley Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In the evaluation of the transplanted lung, it has not been possible always to accurately determine the condition of the lung without recourse to open lung biopsy. In this study, lung scans with macroaggregated radioactive serum albumin have been used to determine the condition of reimplanted and homo-transplanted lungs in dogs. Radioisotope scanning has been found to be helpful in determining the outcome of transplanted lungs. Four patterns of scan have commonly been seen in dogs with transplanted left lungs. In addition a specific pattern of diminished concentration and homogeneity of isotope uptake has been identified for the first time with rejection of the homografts. The scan pattern did not vary although the histologic appearances of rejection showed some variation in different animals.