• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.897-904
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• 1996

A preoperative prediction of postoperative pulmonary function after the pulmonary resection should be made to prevent serious complications and postoperative mortality. There are several methods to predict postoperative lung function but the 99m7c-MAA perfusion lung scan is known as simple, inexpensive and easily tolerated method for patients. We studied the accuracy of the perfusion lung scan in predicting postoperative lung function on 34 patients who received either the resection of one lobe(17 patients) or 2 lobes(2 patients) or pneumonictomy(15 patients). We performed pulmonary function test and lung scan immediately before the operation and calculated the postoperative lung function by substracting the regional lung function which will be rejected. We compared this predictive value to the observed pulmonary function which was done 20 days after the surgery. We also compared the data achieved from 12 patients ho received open thoracotomy due to intrathoracic disease that are not confined in the lung. The correlation coefficient between the predicted value and observed value of FEVI .0 was 0.423, FVC was 0.557 in the pneumonectomy group and FEVI . 0 was 0.693, FVC was 0.591 in the lobectomy group. The correlation coefnclent between the'postoperative value and preoperative value of FEVI .0 was 0.528, FVC was 0.502 in the resectional group and FEVI .0 was 0.871, FVC was 0.896 in the comparatives. We concluded that the perfusion lung scan is accllrate in predicting post-resectional pulmonary function.