Extravascular lung water measured with99mTc-RBC and99mTc-DTPA is increased in left-sided heart failure

Extravascular lung water (EVLW) was quantitatively measured in 81 patients consisting of 10 subjects with normal cardiac function and 71 patients with left-sided heart diseases, using99mTc-RBC as a non-diffusible indicator and99mTc-DTPA as a diffusible indicator in the equilibrium phase. EVLW averaged 3.0±1.4 (ml/kg, mean±SD) in subjects with normal cardiac function (n=10), 4.3±1.7 in New York Heart Association functional class I patients (n=30), 4.8±2.4 in NYHA functional class II patients (n=33) and 9.4±5.4 in NYHA functional class III (n=8) patients. EVLW was greater in NYHA class III than in normal controls or NYHA classes I or II (p < 0.01).