Is nuclear imaging of any value in managing interstitial fibrosis?

The author describes a current status of nuclear imaging in interstitial lung disease. A number of tests have been proposed for the evaluation of disease activity. The only one that is used in many centers, however, is 67Ga scan. If the goal is the evaluation of functional impairment, 99mTc-penta-acetic acid aerosol may be a good tool to measure alveolar-capillary membrane permeability, but the test is not very popular because it is time consuming and may scatter radioactivity in the air. Perfusion imaging, which is more simple, reflects the vascular component of pulmonary parenchymal involvement more accurately than the chest radiograph and in one study has shown changes that could not be seen on the chest radiograph in 26% of cases.