Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear
Medicine

    

• S.K.
  Mathur, Z.F. Soonawalla, S.R. Shah, M. Goel and S.
  Shikare [ Department of Surgery and Gastrointestinal
  Surgical Services and Department of Nuclear
  Medicine, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Bombay
  – 400 012, India ]
  
  Role
  of Biliary Scintiscan in Predicting the Need for
  Cholangiography
  
  Br.
  J. of  Sur.,  Volume 87, Number 2, February, 2000, Pg.181-185
  
     
  
  Seventy
  – five patients with symptomatic gallstone disease
  were studied prospectively regarding the value of a
  history of jaundice or acute pancreatitis, raised
  serum bilirubin and serum alkaline phosphatase
  levels, and visualization of stones or presence of
  dilated bile ducts on ultrasonography in detecting
  bile duct calculi. Results of biliary scintiscan
  were evaluated against a combination of standard
  criteria. The ‘gold standard’ for evaluation was
  endoscopic or peroperative cholangiography.
  
    
  
  Biliary
  scintiscan had higher sensitivity and specificity
  [93 and 94 per cent] than a combination of the
  standard and modified predictors for biliary calculi
  [89  and
  71 per cent]. A combination of ultrasonography and
  selective use of scintiscan, in the absence of bile
  duct dilation only, had highe values [ 96 and 98 per
  cent].
  
    
  
  They
  conclude that a combination of ultrasonography and
  billiary scintiscan can accurately predict bile duct 
  calculi and could be used as a guide for
  selective chlangiography.