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Lung Perfusion Imaging in Tetralogy of Fallot: A Case Report

10.4274/mirt.04909

• Artor Niccoli Asabella
• Alessandra Cimino
• Corinna Altini
• Valentina Lavelli
• Giuseppe Rubini

Received Date: 18.07.2017 Accepted Date: 13.07.2018 Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther 2018;27(3):146-148 PMID: 30317856

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Congenital heart diseases, such as tetralogy of fallot (TOF), are the most common human birth defects that may cause pulmonary diseases. Lung perfusion scintigraphy (LPS) has an important role in evaluating pulmonary involvement in patients with these defects, both as part of the diagnostic work-up and for follow-up to guide best therapeutic strategy. Herein, we report a 10-year-old female patient with TOF who underwent LPS two years after cardiac surgery. The scan showed hypo-perfusion of the left respect to the right lung and abnormal uptake of Tc-99m-macroaggregated albumin in the kidneys and spleen, revealing the presence of a right-to-left shunt, and the necessity for further cardiac surgery. This case is a demonstrative example of the usefulness of LPS in patients with TOF, allowing an accurate evaluation of the best therapeutic strategy with the benefits of low radiation exposure, lack of side effects, reproducibility, management ease and good patient compliance.

Keywords: Lung scintigraphy perfusion, congenital heart disease, tetralogy of fallot, right-to-left shunt

Acknowledgements

Dino Rubini for graphic support in preparing the figures.

Ethics

Informed Consent: Consent form was filled out by all participants.

Peer-review: Externally and internally peer-reviewed.

Authorship Contributions

Surgical and Medical Practices: A.N.A., G.R., Concept: C.A., A.C., Design: A.C., V.L., Analysis or Interpretation: A.N.A., G.R., Literature Search: A.C., Writing: C.A., A.C.

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Financial Disclosure: The authors declared that this study received no financial support.

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