The use of gamma camera imaging following the inhalation of a radiolabel has been widely used by researchers to investigate the fate of inhaled aerosols. The application of two-dimensional (2D) planar gamma scintigraphy and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to the study of inhaled aerosols is discussed in this review. Information on co-localized anatomy can be derived from other imaging techniques such as krypton ventilation scans and low- and high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT). Radionuclide imaging, combined with information on anatomy, is a potentially useful approach when the understanding of regional deposition within the lung is central to research objectives for following disease progression and for the evaluation of therapeutic intervention.
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