Strontium-87m lung scans in pulmonary aspergillosis.

Experimental observations have indicated that radioactive strontium localizes in lesions infected with Aspergillus species. Preliminary clinical studies have recommended use of strontium lung scanning to evaluate patients thought to have pulmonary manifestations of aspergillosis. In view of the difficulty in accurately interpreting the clinical significance of recovery of Aspergillus species from sputum of patients with pulmonary disorders as well as the varied clinical presentations of pulmonary aspergillosis, we have attempted to confirm these reports. Ten patients with proven pulmonary aspergillosis and five selected control subjects without aspergillosis but with other pulmonary disorders were scanned after the injection of 2-3 mCi 87mSr citrate. The strontium lung scan correlated with the chest radiograph in four of 10 patients with aspergillosis; false positive scans were found in three of five patients with other pulmonary disorders. We conclude that strontium lung scans at present have no role in the diagnostic evaluation of patients suspected of clinically significant infections with aspergillus.