A simplified method of monitoring muco-ciliary transport.

A radioactive powder, formed by drying 99Tcm sulphide colloid, was used as a tracer to determine both lung clearance and tracheal mucosal transport of inhaled particles simultaneously in normal and bronchiectatic subjects. No change in either parameter with posture was noted in normal subjects, but patients with bronchiectasis exhibited rapid lung clearance when supine and slow clearance when erect, demonstrating the inefficient muco-ciliary transport in these patients. The method seems of value in monitoring the progress of bronchiectatic patients.