What nuclear medicine tests are most helpful in gastrointestinal (GI) medicine?
- Nuclear medicine procedures have been used in the evaluation of nearly every GI problem.
- Current improvements in and widespread use of endoscopy, manometry, pH monitoring, and diagnostic radiologic imaging techniques (CT, MRI, US) have limited the use of nuclear medicine to specific clinical problems.
Uses of Nuclear Medicine Procedures in Gastrointestinal Diseases
Test or Study | Useful in Diagnosis/Evaluation |
---|---|
Cholescintigraphy (hepatobiliary imaging) | Acute cholecystitis Gallbladder dyskinesis Common duct obstruction Biliary atresia Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction Hepatic mass Biliary leak Choleangiointestinal anastomosis patency |
Gastric emptying | Quantification of gastric motility |
Esophageal motility/transit | Quantification of esophageal transit Evaluation/detection of reflux Detection of pulmonary aspiration |
14 C-urea breath test | Identification of Helicobacter pylori infection |
Liver/spleen scan | Hepatic mass lesions Accessory spleen/splenosis |
Heat-damaged RBC scan | Accessory spleen/splenosis |
67 Gallium scan | Staging of abdominal malignancies Abdominal abscess |
111 In-pentetreotide | Neuroendocrine tumor staging/recurrence |
111 In WBC scan | Evaluation of abdominal infection/abscess Evaluation of active inflammatory bowel disease |
99m Tc-HMPAO WBC scan | Evaluation of active inflammatory bowel disease |
99m Tc-RBC scan | GI bleeding localization Hepatic hemangiomas |
Pertechnetate (NaTcO4) scanning | Meckel diverticulum |
99m Tc-sulfur colloid dynamic imaging | GI bleeding localization |
Hepatic arterial perfusion with 99m Tc MAA | Hepatic intraarterial catheter perfusion |
90 Y microspheres | Treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma Treatment of hepatic metastatic lesions |
18 F-FDG PET and PET/CT | Evaluation of various malignancies Assessment of inflammatory bowel disease |
14 C, Carbon-14; CT, computed tomography; 18 F-FDG, 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose; GI, gastrointestinal; HMPAO, hexamethyl-propyleneamine-oxime; 111 In, indium-111; MAA, macroaggregated albumin; PET, positron emission tomography; RBC , red blood cell; 99m Tc , technetium-99m; WBC , white blood cell; 90 Y ,