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Title: Gallium-67 scintigraphy in the evaluation of patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of hepatoma

Conference · · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6604635

Previous reports had shown that gallium-67 accumulates in hepatoma in 70 to 100% of cases according to different authors. The authors evaluated the significance of Ga-67 scintigraphy in 50 patients, 45 cirrhotics and 5 with other problems. All the patients had either focal defects (44) or patchy uptake (6) on a Tc-99m sulphur colloid scintigram (SC). Routine Ga-67 scintigraphy (5mCi, 48-72 hours imaging, planar gamma camera, medium energy collimator, 2-3 peak energy use) was performed and evaluated in conjunction with the associated Tc-99m SC scintigraphy. Of the 50 pts. 25 had hepatomas. All of them had focal defects on Tc-99m SC scans and incongruent gallium images with either filling of the defects or hot spots. Alfafetoprotein was measured in 18 patients and was normal in 5. Of the remaining 25 pts. without hepatoma 22 had cirrhosis (16 had focal defects and 6 patchy uptake on Tc-99m SC images, but all showed congruent gallium distribution, alfafetoprotein was measured in 12 pts. and was abnormally high in 5) and 3 had abscess, lymphoma or adrenal carcinoma (all had focal defect on Tc-99m SC images and incongruent gallium distribution with hot spots filling the defects of the Tc SC scan). In the series gallium was found to be very useful in separating focal liver abnormalities on Tc-99 SCS in cirrhotics. When a lesion didn't take up gallium, no hepatoma was present. When a defects on SC scintigraphy disappeared or picked up more activity on gallium, the patient had hepatoma (25), or abscess (1), lymphoma (1), adrenal ca. (1). In no case cirrhotic scarring showed gallium uptake. Alfafetoprotein, however, was positive in 5 cirrhotics and negative in 5 hepatomas.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Miami, Miami, FL
OSTI ID:
6604635
Report Number(s):
CONF-850611-
Journal Information:
J. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 26:5; Conference: 32. annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, 2 Jun 1985
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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