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Title: T1-201 per rectum: A noninvasive method for evaluating portosystemic shunt

Conference · · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6781428

Portosystemic shunt is one of the most important complications of liver cirrhosis. Unfortunately, current methods for detecting and quantifying this shunt are either non-specific or associated with significant morbidity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the clinical value of a new non-traumatic method which consisted of administrating T1-201 per rectum and monitoring the absorbed activity using a camera and a computer system. The method assumes that in the absence of portosystemic shunt, most of the absorbed activity will be fixed in the liver while in the presence of this shunt, some of the activity will be fixed in the myocardium. The ratio of heart to liver activity can therefore be used to evaluate the importance of the portosystemic shunt. 34 subjects have been studied. The ratio of heart to liver activity at the 25th minute after the tracer administration is higher in patients with liver cirrhosis (n=22, m=.9, s.d.=.37) than in patients with steatosis (n=10, m=.28, s.d.=.03). In two healthy subjects investigated the H/L ratio was .27 and .30. The reproducibility of the test was evaluated in 8 subjects and showed a good reproducibility (mean of difference =.03, range=.01 to .07). Patients with esophageal varices had always a high H/L ratio while some patients with liver cirrhosis without esophageal varices had also high H/L ratio, probably due to the presence of intrahepatic shunt. The authors' results showed the value of this new non-traumatic test for detecting and quantifying extra- as well as intrahepatic portosystematic shunt.

Research Organization:
Dept. Radioisotopes and Gastroenterology, St. Peter Hospital, Free Univ. of Brussels
OSTI ID:
6781428
Report Number(s):
CONF-840619-; TRN: 87-008805
Journal Information:
J. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 31. annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 5 Jun 1984
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English