Abstract
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a technique that makes it possible to measure ventilation and pulmonary perfusion in a volume that approximates to a 2D plane. The possibility of using EIT for measuring the left-right division of ventilation and perfusion was compared with that of radionuclide imaging. Following routine ventilation (
Kr) and perfusion scanning (
Tc-MAA), EIT measurements were performed at the third and the sixth intercostal level in 14 patients with lung cancer. A correlation ( r = 0.98, p<0.005) between the left-right division for the ventilation measured with EIT and that with Kr was found. For the left-right division of pulmonary perfusion a correlation of 0.95 ( p<0.005) was found between the two methods. The reliability coefficient (RC) was calculated for estimating the left-right division with EIT. The RC for the ventilation measurements was 94% and 96% for the perfusion measurements. The correlation analysis for reproducibility of the EIT measurements was 0.95 ( p<0.001) for the ventilation and 0.93 ( p<0.001) for the perfusion measurements. In conclusion, EIT can be regarded as a promising technique to estimate the left-right division of pulmonary perfusion and ventilation.
Keywords: electrical impedance, tomography, radionuclide, ventilation, perfusion