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Spacer inhalation technique and deposition of extrafine aerosol in asthmatic children

¹ UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health, and ² Dept of Nuclear Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia, and ³ Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

CORRESPONDENCE: C. M. Roller, UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, GPO D184 Perth, Western Australia 6840. Fax: 61 893882097. E-mail: croller{at}meddent.uwa.edu.au

Keywords: Children, deposition study, inhalation technique, spacers

Received: April 13, 2006
Accepted September 9, 2006

The aim of the present study was to measure airway, oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal deposition of ^99mTc-labelled hydrofluoroalkane-beclomethasone dipropionate after inhalation via a pressurised metered-dose inhaler and spacer (Aerochamber Plus^TM) in asthmatic children.

A group of 24 children (aged 5–17 yrs) with mild asthma inhaled the labelled drug. A total of 12 children took five tidal breaths after each actuation (tidal group). The other 12 children used a slow maximal inhalation followed by a 5–10-s breath-hold (breath-hold group). Simultaneous anterior and posterior planar -scintigraphic scans (120-s acquisition) were recorded.

For the tidal group, mean±SD lung deposition (% ex-actuator, attenuation corrected) was 35.4±18.3, 47.5±13.0 and 54.9±11.2 in patients aged 5–7 (n = 4), 8–10 (n = 4) and 11–17 yrs (n = 4), respectively. Oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal deposition was 24.0±10.5, 10.3±4.4 and 10.1±6.2. With the breath-hold technique, lung deposition was 58.1±6.7, 56.6±5.2 and 58.4±9.2. Oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal deposition was 12.9±3.2, 20.1±9.5 and 20.8±8.8.

Inhalation of the extrafine formulation with the breath-hold technique showed significantly improved lung deposition compared with tidal breathing across all ages. Oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal deposition was markedly decreased, regardless of which inhalation technique was applied, compared with a previous paediatric study using the same formulation delivered via a breath-actuated metered-dose inhaler.