Scintigraphic findings in Gaucher's disease

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6935460

Israel, O; Jerushalmi, J; Front, D

Gaucher's disease involves the liver, the spleen, and the bone. Liver-spleen and bone scintigraphy were used during an 8-yr period to evaluate changes caused by this disease. Patients were investigated with a liver-spleen scan for abdominal pain, mechanical discomfort, enlarged liver or spleen on physical examination, abdominal mass, abnormal liver function tests, and symptoms of hypersplenism. Fourteen liver-spleen scans were performed in nine patients. Liver scintigraphy showed various degrees of enlargement and inhomogeneous uptake. In two patients focal defects were detected. In one, focal defects were due to liver involvement with Gaucher's disease, but in the other they were caused by metastatic pancreatic carcinoma. The study was also useful in detecting splenic infarction and in following enlargement of the spleen after partial splenectomy. The main indication for bone scintigraphy in six patients was bone pain. This was found to be caused by either aseptic necrosis of the head of the femur, bone infarction, pathological fractures, or osteomyelitis. Loosening after total hip replacement was ruled out in three patients and missed in one patient. Scintigraphy appears to be a simple, sensitive test for evaluation of the liver, spleen, and bony skeleton in patients with symptomatic Gaucher's disease.

• Research Organization: Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
• OSTI ID: 6935460
• Journal Information: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States) Vol. 10; ISSN JNMEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550601* -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
ESTERS
GLANDS
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIVER
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PATIENTS
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PHYTIC ACID
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
SCINTISCANNING
SKELETON
SPLEEN
SPLENOMEGALY
SYMPTOMS
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES