Diffuse lung uptake of technetium-99m sulfur colloid in malaria.

Diffuse lung accumulation of colloid was seen on liver-spleen imaging in a patient during the acute stage of vivax malaria. A repeat study was performed following successful therapy and showed complete disappearance of lung uptake. Possible mechanisms for this unusual observation are discussed, with the conclusion that this phenomenon is probably related to increased reticuloendothelial system activity, due to a malaria-induced increase in the pulmonary macrophages.