Correlation of 68Ga Ventilation-Perfusion PET/CT with Pulmonary Function Test Indices for Assessing Lung Function

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) assess overall lung function but lack regional detail.
• Quantitative ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) PET/CT offers a method to evaluate regional lung function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the correlation between quantitative V/Q PET/CT functional volumes and standard PFT indices.
• To determine the utility of V/Q PET/CT in evaluating regional pulmonary dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Thirty patients underwent V/Q PET/CT and PFT.
• Functional lung volumes (%NVQ, matched/unmatched defects) were calculated from PET/CT imaging.
• These volumes were correlated with PFT parameters including FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and DLCO.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in functional volumes were observed in patients with COPD (P < 0.05).
• The highest correlation was found between FEV1/FVC and %NVQ (r = 0.82).
• %NVQ showed strong correlation with FEV1 (r = 0.64) and a cutoff of 90% accurately categorized lung function impairment in 28/30 patients.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative V/Q PET/CT demonstrates strong correlations with PFT parameters.
• V/Q PET/CT's ability to assess regional lung function supports its use in radiation therapy, preoperative planning, and diagnosing respiratory diseases.