Alteration in pulmonary blood flow induced by cold exposure to the hand in progressive systemic sclerosis.

To determine whether pulmonary blood flow is altered by cold exposure to the hand, cold exposure was induced by immersion of the left hand in 7 degrees C water in 8 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). Lung perfusion was measured by continuous infusion of 81M krypton into the right antecubital vein. Exposing the left hand to cold caused an 11 to 32% decrease in the pulmonary blood flow in all lung fields in 4 of 8 patients. After release of cold exposure, in one of the 4 patients demonstrating a decrease during cold exposure, pulmonary blood flow recovered, while it kept on a decrease in the remaining 3 patients. Physiological abnormalities of pulmonary blood flow in PSS have been shown as a quantitative change and a image.