Radiopharmaceuticals for hepatobiliary imaging

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2998(82)80025-1· OSTI ID:7055660

Chervu, L R; Nunn, A D; Loberg, M D

Tests for liver function have by and large centered around clinical laboratory diagnostic procedures for a number of years. Besides these, radiographic imaging procedures, including oral cholecystography and intravenous cholangiography, serve a very useful purpose, but several of them are invasive and involve a certain degree of risk from the administered contrast media as well as discomfort to the patient. The cholescintigraphic procedures, though noninvasive, have not played a significant role in the evaluation of hepatobiliary disorders prior to the introduction of the currently available /sup 99m/Tc-labeled IDAs. These new hepatobiliary agents offer many advantages over the previously utilized radiopharmaceuticals (/sup 131/I-rose bengal in particular) in terms of the high degree of specificity for localization in the gallbladder with rapid extraction rates by the polygonal cells of the liver and very low excretion via the GU tract. A detailed understanding of the structure distribution relationship of the various groups in the complex enable the design of agents with an improvement in hepatobiliary specificity and other desirable characteristics. In many clinical situations, even in patients with high bilirubin levels, the /sup 99m/Tc-labeled IDAs offer far superior clinical information over the alternative diagnostic imaging modalities. Further, the absorbed radiation dose imparted to the critical organs is far lower than with the older agents. Thus, the introduction of the cholescintigraphic procedures with the /sup 99m/Tc-labeled IDAs have ushered in a new phase in the diagnostic workup of patients with impaired hepatocellular function and other biliary disorders.

• Research Organization: Nuclear Medicine Division, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
• OSTI ID: 7055660
• Journal Information: Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 12:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BILIARY TRACT
SCINTISCANNING
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
IODINE 131
DIAGNOSTIC USES
LIVER
TECHNETIUM 99
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ISOMERIC NUCLEI
PATHOLOGY
PATIENTS
RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
DRUGS
GLANDS
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
USES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
550901 - Pathology- Tracer Techniques