Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1974 May;15(5):404–410. doi: 10.1136/gut.15.5.404

67Gallium scanning in the diagnosis of liver disease

Oliver James, E J Wood, Sheila Sherlock
PMCID: PMC1412915  PMID: 18668852

Abstract

67Gallium (67Ga) citrate liver scanning has been carried out on 60 selected patients following a scan with a radioactive colloid preparation.

The 67Ga scan correctly identified the site of primary liver carcinoma in 14 of 16 patients, including nine of 10 patients in whom the carcinoma arose in a cirrhotic liver, whereas a colloid scan positively identified the site in only four of these 10 cirrhotic subjects. Alpha-1-fetoprotein estimation was positive in eight of the 16 patients, including the two in whom 67Ga scanning was negative. No positive 67Ga scans were seen in 15 patients with cirrhosis but no primary liver cell cancer in whom a space-occupying lesion could not be excluded on colloid scan. 67Ga citrate scanning appears to be the most reliable investigation available in the diagnosis of primary liver cell cancer. Uptake of 67Ga in secondary metastatic tumours within the liver was less frequent, and appears to have much less value in the detection of these lesions and of bile duct carcinoma than in primary liver cell carcinoma.

The 67Ga scan was positive in six out of six patients with pyogenic abscess either in the liver or adjacent to it. In four of these patients a preceding colloid scan had shown no definite filling defect in the liver.

Full text

PDF
409

Images in this article

405Fig 1
on p.405
406Fig 2
on p.406
407Fig 3
on p.407

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ben-Porath M., Kaplan E. The distribution and concentration of 75Se-selenomethionine in man. J Nucl Med. 1969 Nov;10(11):709–710. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Eddleston A. L., Rake M. O., Pagaltsos A. P., Osborn S. B., Williams R. 75se-selenomethionine in the scintiscan diignosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut. 1971 Apr;12(4):245–249. doi: 10.1136/gut.12.4.245. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Edwards C. L., Hayes R. L. Scanning malignant neoplasms with gallium 67. JAMA. 1970 May 18;212(7):1182–1191. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Edwards C. L., Hayes R. L. Tumor scanning with 67Ga citrate. J Nucl Med. 1969 Feb;10(2):103–105. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fogh J., Edeling C. J. 67 Ga scintigraphy of malignant tumours. Nucl Med (Stuttg) 1972 Dec 30;11(4):371–395. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hawkins L. A., McAlister J. M. The use of 99Tcm antimony sulphide colloid for liver scanning: its preparation and some clinical and experimental observations. Br J Radiol. 1969 Sep;42(501):657–661. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-42-501-657. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Larson S. M., Schall G. L., Johnston S. The value of 67 Ga scanning in the evaluation of liver involvement in Hodgkin's disease: comparison with 99m Tc-sulfur colloid. Nucl Med (Stuttg) 1971 Oct 30;10(3):241–244. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lavender J. P., Lowe J., Barker J. R., Burn J. I., Chaudhri M. A. Gallium 67 citrate scanning in neoplastic and inflammatory lesions. Br J Radiol. 1971 May;44(521):361–366. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-44-521-361. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Littenberg R. L., Taketa R. M., Alazraki N. P., Halpern S. E., Ashburn W. L. Gallium-67 for localization of septic lesions. Ann Intern Med. 1973 Sep;79(3):403–406. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-79-3-403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lomas F., Dibos P. E., Wagner H. N., Jr Increased specificity of liver scanning with the use of 67 gallium citrate. N Engl J Med. 1972 Jun 22;286(25):1323–1329. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197206222862501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lomas F., Wagner H. N., Jr Accumulation of ionic 67 Ga in empyema of the gallbladder. Radiology. 1972 Dec;105(3):689–692. doi: 10.1148/105.3.689. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MCAFEE J. G., AUSE R. G., WAGNER H. N., Jr DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF SCINTILLATION SCANNING OF THE LIVER. Arch Intern Med. 1965 Jul;116:95–110. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1965.03870010097012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McKusick K. A., Soin J. S., Ghiladi A., Wagner H. N. Gallium 67 accumulation in pulmonary sarcoidosis. JAMA. 1973 Feb 5;223(6):688–688. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Patton D. D., Garcia E. N., Webber M. M. Simplified preparation of technetium 99m sulfide colloid for liver scanning. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1966 Aug;97(4):880–885. doi: 10.2214/ajr.97.4.880. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Suzuki T., Honjo I., Hamamoto K., Kousaka T., Torizuka K. Positive scintiphotography of cancer of the liver with Ga 67 citrate. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1971 Sep;113(1):92–103. doi: 10.2214/ajr.113.1.92. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Trapp P., Sieslack R., Goepfert H., Hellriegel W. Erfahrungen über die galliumszintigraphie in einer Tumorklinik. Strahlentherapie. 1971 Nov;142(5):539–545. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Winchell H. S., Sanchez P. D., Watanabe C. K., Hollander L., Anger H. O., McRae J. Visualization of tumors in humans using 67Ga-citrate and the Anger whole-body scanner, scintillation camera and tomographic scanner. J Nucl Med. 1970 Jul;11(7):459–466. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES