SPECT/CT Accurately Predicts Postoperative Lung Function in Patients with Limited Pulmonary Reserve Undergoing Resection for Lung Cancer

Isabelle Moneke; Christine von Nida; Oemer Senbaklavaci; Mirjam Elze; Philipp T Meyer; Bernward Passlick; Christian Goetz; Laurin Titze

doi:10.3390/jcm13206111

SPECT/CT Accurately Predicts Postoperative Lung Function in Patients with Limited Pulmonary Reserve Undergoing Resection for Lung Cancer

J Clin Med. 2024 Oct 14;13(20):6111. doi: 10.3390/jcm13206111.

Authors

Isabelle Moneke¹, Christine von Nida², Oemer Senbaklavaci¹, Mirjam Elze¹, Philipp T Meyer², Bernward Passlick¹, Christian Goetz², Laurin Titze¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
² Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Preoperative prediction of postoperative pulmonary function after anatomical resection for lung cancer is essential to prevent long-term morbidity and mortality. Here, we compared the accuracy of hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) with traditional anatomical and planar scintigraphy approaches in predicting postoperative pulmonary function in patients with impaired lung function. Methods: We analyzed the predicted postoperative pulmonary function in patients undergoing major anatomical lung resection, applying a segment counting approach, planar perfusion scintigraphy (PPS), and SPECT/CT-based lung function quantification. Results: In total, 120 patients were evaluated, of whom 82 were included in the study. Postoperative lung function tests were obtained in 21 of 82 patients. The preoperative SPECT/CT-based quantification yielded very accurate results compared to the actual postoperative FEV1 and DLCO values. The linear regression analysis showed that the SPECT/CT-based analysis predicted postoperative FEV₁ (%) and D_LCO values more accurately than the segment counting approach or PPS. Accordingly, 58/82 patients would qualify for anatomical lung resection according to the SPECT-based quantification, 56/82 qualified according to the PPS (Mende), and only 47/82 qualified according to the segment counting method. Moreover, we noted that the SPECT-predicted FEV₁ values were very close to the actual postoperative values in emphysema patients, and selected patients even showed improved lung function after surgery. Conclusions: Anatomically driven methods such as SPECT/CT yielded a very accurate prediction of the postoperative pulmonary function. Accordingly, applying SPECT/CT revealed more patients who would formally qualify for lung resection. We suggest SPECT/CT as the preferred method to evaluate eligibility for lung surgery in selected patients with impaired pulmonary reserve.

Keywords: SPECT CT; lung cancer; planar perfusion scintigraphy; postoperative pulmonary function.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.