Localization of gastrointestinal bleeding: superiority of /sup 99/mTc sulfur colloid compared with angiography

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.137.4.741· OSTI ID:5638587

Alavi, A; Ring, E J

Preliminary experience with technetium-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy in 43 patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding is described. Within minutes of the intravenous introduction of the radiopharmaceutical, a fraction of the injected activity extravasates at the bleeding site and is eliminated from the circulation. Because of rapid clearance of the radiopharmaceutical from the vascular pool by the reticuloendothelial system, a contrast develops between the site of bleeding and surrounding background. Based on animal experiments, bleeding rates as low as 0.05-0.1 ml/min can be detected with this technique. The sensitivity of this technique in the detection of the site of hemorrhage is significantly higher than arteriography or other techniques that use radioactive blood pool indicators. In this study all patients underwent both scintigraphy and arteriography within several hours. In 20 patients with negative scintigrams, arteriography showed no evidence of bleeding. In the other 23 patients with scintigraphic evidence of hemorrhage, arteriograms were positive for bleeding only in 10. In 19 of the 23 patients, a cause for bleeding was eventually established by other means. This technique appears to offer a simple, practical, and reliable approach to the evaluation of patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

• Research Organization: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• OSTI ID: 5638587
• Journal Information: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States), Journal Name: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States) Vol. 137:4; ISSN AAJRD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY
BLOOD VESSELS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COLLOIDS
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISPERSIONS
DRUGS
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
HEMORRHAGE
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MEDICINE
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PATIENTS
RADIOCOLLOIDS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOLOGY
RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS
SCINTISCANNING
SYMPTOMS
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES