rhabdomyosarcoma ofthe bladder could be causing the obstruc In the present report, damage to the renal tubular cells from tion. ifosfamide also interrupted the transport mechanism for binding Ifosfamide is an ozazophosphorine derivative of cyclophos DMSA. Without this binding to the renal tubular cells, DMSA phamide. This chemotherapeutic agent is an attractive alterna was excreted by glomerular filtration, thereby accounting for tive for the treatment of cyclophosphamide-resistant tumors. It the unusual pattern seen in Figures 1 and 2. also has lower bone marrow toxicity. Specific damage to the proximal tubule results in a Fanconi-type renal tubular syn CONCLUSION drome. This consists of diminished phosphate resorption from Ifosfamide may produce damage to the renal tubular transport the proximal tubules and a hypophosphatemic state (9). Normal mechanism, which is responsible for the binding ofDMSA. We plasma calcium is maintained. Excess phosphate in the urine have described an altered uptake pattern on the DMSA scan that can lead to a radiographic pattern of rickets (10). In this report, more closely resembles that of a glomerular filtration agent as the damage to the kidney, as shown by the decreased DMSA seen, for example, with DTPA. This unusual uptake pattern can uptake, occurred before any radiographic evidence of rickets at be recognized as a side effect ofchemotherapy from ifosfamide. the growth plate. Other renal tubular resorptive mechanisms are also damaged, resulting in glycosuria, renal tubular acidosis and REFERENCES abnormal vitamin D metabolism. This complication is more 1. Verber 1G. Strudley MR. Meller ST. Technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid common in smaller children in the first decade of life and is (DM5A) scan as first investigation of urinary tract infection. Arch Dis Childhood described as producing rickets more commonly in children with 1988;63:1320—l325. 2. Rushton HG, Majd M, Chandra R, Yim D. Evaluation of @“Tc-dimereaptosuccinic a single kidney, such as after a nephrectomy for Wilms tumor acid renal scans in experimental acute pyelonephritis in piglets. J Urol 1988;l40: (11). This complication is presumed to be dose-related, but 1169—1174. there is a single case report of a child who developed Fanconi 3. Bjorgvinsson E, Majd M, Eggli KD. Diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children: comparison of sonography and @“Tcscintigraphy. Am J Roentgenol 1991;157:539— syndrome after the first dose of ifosfamide (12), which suggests 543. that the nephrotoxicity of ifosfamide to the proximal renal 4. Eggli D. Renal cortical scintigraphy in the evaluation of pyelonephritis and renal scarring. In: 1995 podiatric abdominal imaging: issues and controversies. Presented tubules may not be completely dose-related. Earlier treatment April 1995; Washington D.C. with nephrotoxic drugs such as cisplatin or carboplatin exag 5. de Lange M, Piers DA, Kosterink JG, et al. Renal handling oftechnetium-99m DMSA: gerates the damage from ifosfamide. evidence for glomerular filtration and peritubular uptake. J NuciMed 1989;30:12l9— 1223. DMSA has been shown to be exquisitely sensitive in detec 6. Dc Maeyer P, Simons M, Oosterlinck W, De Sy WA. A clinical study of technetium tion of renal tubular damage from ifosfamide. A quantitative 99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid uptake in obstructed kidneys: comparison with the serial study in children receiving ifosfamide documented a creatinine clearance. J Urol 1982;l28:8—9. 7. Pauwels EK, Lycklama a Nijeholt AA, Arndt 1W, Jonas U. The determination of cumulative pattern of injury (13). This pattern showed de relative kidney function in obstructive uropathy with @‘Tc-DMSA.Nuci Med creased renal and background activity with increased bladder Commun 1987;8:865—867. 8. Parker RM, Russ TG, Wonderly RK, Ansall JS. Ureteropelvic junction obstruction in activity. None of the children showed activity in a dilated renal infants and children: functional evaluation ofthe obstructed kidney. J Urol l981;l26: pelvis and ureters as our patient. The sensitivity to renal tubular 509—512. damage was superior to laboratory measurements, including 132 9. Skinner R, Pearson ADJ, Price L, Cunningham K, Craft AW. Hypophosphataemic rickets after ifosfamide treatment in children. Br Med J 1989;298:1560—1561. microglobulin values in the urine and renal tubular resorption of 10. Sweeney LE. Hypephosphataemic rickets after ifosfamide treatment in children. Clin phosphate. DMSA was recommended as a suitable method to Radio! 1993;47:345—347. access ifosfamide-induced renal tubular damage. This case 11. Relf M, Boal DKB. Rickets—acomplication of ifosfamide chemotherapy for Wilms tumor. Pediatr Radio! 1992;22:209—210. report also documents the superiority of the DMSA scan in 12. Dvalck C, Ismaili K, Ferster A, Sariban E. Acute ifosfamide induced proximal tubular detecting renal tubular damage over radiographic changes of toxic reaction [Letter]. JPediatr 199l;ll8:325. 13. Anninga 1K, Olmos RAV, de Kraker J, van Tinteren H, Hoefnagel CA, van Royen EA. rickets at the growth plate. This patient's radiographs of the Technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid and ifosfamide tubular dysfunction in chil wrists and knees were normal at the time of the DMSA scan. dren with cancer. Eur J Nucl Med 1994;2l :658—662. Lung Scintigraphy in Postpneumonectomy Dyspnea Due to a Right-to-Left Shunt Emmanuel Durand, Emmanuel Bussy and Jean-Francois Gaillard Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Hópital d ‘Instructiondes Arméesdu Va! de Grace, Paris, and CIERM, Service de Médecine Nucléaire,Hôpital de Bicétre,Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France was confirmed by contrast echocardiography, which revealed an We reportthe caseof a 50-yr-oldmanwhoexperiencedexertional atrial septal defect. Right-to-left shunts after pneumonectomy have dyspnea 5 mo after a left pneumonectomy for carcinoma. As the already been reported and can be diagnosed by lung scmntigraphy. clinical features pointed toward a pulmonary embolism, we per Usually,a patent foramen ovale is encountered, but the underlying formed a ventilation plus perfusion radionuclide lung scan. It physiopathology remains under discussion. Clinically, right-to-left showed no evidence of pulmonary embolism, but it did show a shunts are often relatedto platypnea-orthodeoxia systemic uptake of the isotope, suggestinga right-to-left shunt that Key Words ventilation; perfusion lung scan; pneumonectomy; dyspnea; platypnea-orthodeoxia Received Sep. 27, 1996; revision accepted Jan. 27, 1997. For correspondence er rep.ints contact: Emmanuel Durand, CIERM-HoPftaI de J Nuci Med 1997; 3&I8I2-1815 Bicètre, 78, rue du GénéralLeclerc, F 94275 La Kremlin-Bicètre CEDEX@France. 1812 THEJOURNALOFNUCLEARMEDICINE•Vol. 38 •No. 11 •November 1997 A B A B .1 C D C D FiGURE1. Ventilationlungscan(250,000counts):(A@anteilor,(B)nght anterioroblique;(C)rightposterioroblique;(D)posterior.The remainingright lung appears homogeneous. Lung scintigraphy is usually performed during the exploration of a dyspnea to diagnose pulmonary embolism, but it has proven useful in the detection of right-to-left shunts (RLSs) in several diseases (1—9).Here, we present the case of a RLS FIGURE2. MAAperlualonlungscan(500,000counts):(A@anterior(B)nght occurring after a left pneumonectomy. anterioroblique;(C)rightposterioroblique;(0)posterior.Theremainingright lung appears homogeneous. MM is visible in spleen, myocardium and kidneys. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 50-yr-old man, an ex-smoker, who was We concluded that there was no recent pulmonary embolism but in good health until an hemoptysis led to the discovery of a mixed that there was a right-to-left shunting because ofthe presence of the bronchial carcinoma (adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma) at MAAs in the systemic circulation. the origin of the left lower bronchus, with mediastinal adenopathy. The transthoracic cardiac ultrasonographic examination only A left pneumonectomy was performed, and three cycles of chemo showed a right ventricle hypertrophy, whereas the transesophageal therapy were begun, but they were interrupted because of anemia ultrasonography demonstrated a large atrial septal defect (ASD) and renal failure. with a bidirectional shunt (mostly RLS). The microbubbles injected Five months after the pneumonectomy, he started to experience intravenously were immediately seen in the left heart chambers. dyspnea, first at exercise and then at rest. The clinical and The Doppler ultrasonography failed to measure the intracardiac radiological findings of the right lung were normal. The total vital pressures by the tricuspid regurgitation method. Because of the capacity was 44% of normal capacity, and the first second forced poor prognosis of this patient, there were no other investigations, expiration capacity was 56% of the total vital capacity. The such as catheterization, nor was there treatment for this ASD. patient's arterial blood showed a partial pressure of oxygen (Pa02) We kept the assumption of an ancient ASD with a nonsymp of 6.5 kPa (49 mmHg) and a PaCO2 of 4.4 kPa (33 mmHg) while he was breathing room air. As these features suggested a pulmonary embolism, a ventilation and perfusion lung scintigraphy was performed. The patient breathed an aerosol (ultravent design) of @“@Tc labeled phytates (1.1 GBq) to get four 250,000-count ventilation frames, and then we injected 0.2 mg (185 MBq) of 9@―Tc-labeled albumin macroaggregates (MAAs), i.e., at least 120,000 particles in an antecubital vein, while the patient was supine and made 500,000-count perfusion frames. The ventilation was homogeneous (Fig. 1), and there was no evidence of perfusion defect in the remaining right lung (Fig. 2). However, after the MAA injection, an important activity was seen in the spleen, the myocardium and the kidneys. We made another view of the skull (Fig. 3); the thyroid, the encephalon, the salivary glands and the upper airway were clearly seen. The brain-to-lung FIGURE3. ImageoftheskullafterMM injection(300sac):(left)anterior uptake ratio was high (2.5%). The labeling yield of the injected (right)right.MM isvisibleinbraln,thyroidandsalivaryglands.Theaerosolis MAAs was controlled by Tech-Kit (under 0.2% of free technetium).