Pulmonary disposition of gallium-67 in humans: concise communication

Pulmonary gallium-67 imaging for inflammatory and neoplastic diseases has become an important diagnostic tool in respiratory medicine. However, the extent to which Ga-67 is delivered to normal lungs has not been fully evaluated. Accordingly, we measured the disposition of Ga-67 using scintiscanning, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and blood analysis in healthy subjects. Following an intravenous dose of 6 mCi Ga-67 citrate, the gallium scan showed no pulmonary uptake at 48 hr. In all subjects, radioactivity was detected in both blood and recovered BAL fluid at 72 hr, being predominantly in the cellular component of the BAL washings. We conclude that despite negative pulmonary imaging, Ga-67 accumulates in the cells that line the alveolar acini of normal nonsmoking individuals.