Mucociliary transport using 99mTc-albumin colloid: a reliable screening test for primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

A study was undertaken to assess the reliability of the nasal mucociliary transport test using 99mTc-albumin colloid as a screening test for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and to compare it with the gold standard nasal biopsy for study of ciliary motility and ultrastructure.

METHODS:

During a 4 year period both tests were performed in 55 children referred with persistent or recurrent respiratory tract infections. Their median age was 4 years (range 1 month to 15 years).

RESULTS:

The nasal biopsy results were as follows: PCD, n = 8; secondary ciliary dyskinesia (SCD), n = 19; normal, n = 28. The mucociliary transport test was abnormal in 29 patients (all 8 with PCD, 7/19 with SCD, and 14/28 with a normal biopsy). The sensitivity of the mucociliary transport test to diagnose PCD was therefore 100% (8/8) (95% exact confidence limits 63.06 to 100.00); the specificity was only 55% (26/47) (40.95 to 69.89). The negative predictive value was 100% (26/26) (86.77 to 100.00) and the positive predictive value was 28% (8/29) (12.37 to 47.24).

CONCLUSION:

Mucociliary transport is a non-invasive screening test that can be performed even in infants. The sensitivity of the test is high but its specificity is low. A normal test result excludes PCD.

• Authors: K De Boeck, M Proesmans, L Mortelmans, B Van Billoen, T Willems, M Jorissen
• Journal: Thorax (Thorax) Vol. 60 Issue 5 Pg. 414-7 (May 2005) ISSN: 0040-6376 [Print] England
• PMID: 15860718 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Radiopharmaceuticals
• Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Biopsy
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Ciliary Motility Disorders (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Humans
• Infant
• Mucociliary Clearance (physiology)
• Nose (pathology)
• Radionuclide Imaging
• Radiopharmaceuticals
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Statistics, Nonparametric
• Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin