skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Cleansing the colon in gallium-67 scintigraphy: a prospective comparison of regimens

Abstract

Colonic accumulation of gallium-67 frequently complicates the interpretation of gallium-67 scintigrams. Although various modes of cleansing the colon prior to scintigraphy have been suggested, there is controversy over their efficacy and none have been tested prospectively. Three hundred nine patients undergoing gallium-67 scintigraphy were randomly assigned to one of four cleansing regimens: (1) a high fiber diet (78 patients); (2) castor oil (76); (3) milk of magnesia and cascara (76); and (4) not preparation (79). Patient compliance rates for the four regimens were 17%, 32%, 36%, and 46%, respectively. After noncompliant patients were excluded, gallium-67 scintigrams were graded for colonic activity on a scale of 0-3 by three independent, experienced observers. Gallium-67 activity in the colon was significantly less after administration of castor oil than after no preparation (p . 0.047). A high fiber diet also resulted in a substantial reduction of colonic activity when compared with no preparation; the difference, however, was not statistically significant (p . 0.083). Regimen 3 did not produce significantly better results than regimen 4 (p . 0.42). A major impediment to the success of any cleansing regimen seems to be poor compliance of patients.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL
OSTI Identifier:
5504223
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 137:5
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; GALLIUM 67; BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION; SCINTISCANNING; LARGE INTESTINE; CLEARANCE; CASTOR OIL; DIET; MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDES; PATIENTS; ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BODY; COUNTING TECHNIQUES; DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES; GALLIUM ISOTOPES; GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; HYDROXIDES; INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI; INTESTINES; ISOTOPES; MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS; NUCLEI; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; OILS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANS; OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING; RADIOISOTOPES; 550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics

Citation Formats

Novetsky, G J, Turner, D A, Ali, A, Raynor, Jr, W J, and Fordham, E W. Cleansing the colon in gallium-67 scintigraphy: a prospective comparison of regimens. United States: N. p., 1981. Web. doi:10.2214/ajr.137.5.979.
Novetsky, G J, Turner, D A, Ali, A, Raynor, Jr, W J, & Fordham, E W. Cleansing the colon in gallium-67 scintigraphy: a prospective comparison of regimens. United States. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.137.5.979
Novetsky, G J, Turner, D A, Ali, A, Raynor, Jr, W J, and Fordham, E W. 1981. "Cleansing the colon in gallium-67 scintigraphy: a prospective comparison of regimens". United States. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.137.5.979.
@article{osti_5504223,
title = {Cleansing the colon in gallium-67 scintigraphy: a prospective comparison of regimens},
author = {Novetsky, G J and Turner, D A and Ali, A and Raynor, Jr, W J and Fordham, E W},
abstractNote = {Colonic accumulation of gallium-67 frequently complicates the interpretation of gallium-67 scintigrams. Although various modes of cleansing the colon prior to scintigraphy have been suggested, there is controversy over their efficacy and none have been tested prospectively. Three hundred nine patients undergoing gallium-67 scintigraphy were randomly assigned to one of four cleansing regimens: (1) a high fiber diet (78 patients); (2) castor oil (76); (3) milk of magnesia and cascara (76); and (4) not preparation (79). Patient compliance rates for the four regimens were 17%, 32%, 36%, and 46%, respectively. After noncompliant patients were excluded, gallium-67 scintigrams were graded for colonic activity on a scale of 0-3 by three independent, experienced observers. Gallium-67 activity in the colon was significantly less after administration of castor oil than after no preparation (p . 0.047). A high fiber diet also resulted in a substantial reduction of colonic activity when compared with no preparation; the difference, however, was not statistically significant (p . 0.083). Regimen 3 did not produce significantly better results than regimen 4 (p . 0.42). A major impediment to the success of any cleansing regimen seems to be poor compliance of patients.},
doi = {10.2214/ajr.137.5.979},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5504223}, journal = {AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 137:5,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981}
}