AIM: Lower gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage is a complex clinical problem that requires disciplined evaluation for successful management. This study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in patients with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding undergoing scintigraphy with 99mTc-labelled red blood cells (RBC), and to assess the additional clinical value of fused images when compared to the standard radionuclide scan. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients presenting with acute lower GI tract hemorrhage were studied with conventional dynamic and planar 99mTc-RBC imaging. In 19 patients with positive findings on scans taken within 6 hours, a SPECT/CT study was immediately performed using a hybrid system composed of a dual-head, variable angle gamma camera and an X-ray tube. The number of patients in whom SPECT/CT changed the scintigraphic interpretation with regard to the presence or site of GI blood loss as confirmed by other diagnostic or therapeutical procedures was recorded. RESULTS: Image fusion was easy and successful in all patients showing perfect correspondence between SPECT and CT data and allowing precise anatomical localization of the sites of 99mTc-RBC extravasation. SPECT/CT had significant impact on the scintigraphic results in 7/19 patients (36.8%): in 6 patients it precisely localized the bleeding foci whose location could not be identified in standard scans and in one it excluded the presence of an active GI hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: SPECT/CT with a hybrid system is feasible and useful for facilitating imaging interpretation and improving the accuracy of 99mTc-RBC scintigraphy in patients with acute lower GI bleeding.

SPECT/CT with a hybrid imaging system in the study of lower gastrointestinal bleeding with technetium-99m red blood cells / O. Schillaci, A. Spanu, L. Tagliabue, L. Filippi, R. Danieli, B. Palumbo, A. Del Sole, G. Madeddu. - In: THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING. - ISSN 1824-4785. - 53:3(2009 Jun), pp. 281-289.

SPECT/CT with a hybrid imaging system in the study of lower gastrointestinal bleeding with technetium-99m red blood cells

A. Del Sole
Penultimo
;
2009

Abstract

AIM: Lower gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage is a complex clinical problem that requires disciplined evaluation for successful management. This study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in patients with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding undergoing scintigraphy with 99mTc-labelled red blood cells (RBC), and to assess the additional clinical value of fused images when compared to the standard radionuclide scan. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients presenting with acute lower GI tract hemorrhage were studied with conventional dynamic and planar 99mTc-RBC imaging. In 19 patients with positive findings on scans taken within 6 hours, a SPECT/CT study was immediately performed using a hybrid system composed of a dual-head, variable angle gamma camera and an X-ray tube. The number of patients in whom SPECT/CT changed the scintigraphic interpretation with regard to the presence or site of GI blood loss as confirmed by other diagnostic or therapeutical procedures was recorded. RESULTS: Image fusion was easy and successful in all patients showing perfect correspondence between SPECT and CT data and allowing precise anatomical localization of the sites of 99mTc-RBC extravasation. SPECT/CT had significant impact on the scintigraphic results in 7/19 patients (36.8%): in 6 patients it precisely localized the bleeding foci whose location could not be identified in standard scans and in one it excluded the presence of an active GI hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: SPECT/CT with a hybrid system is feasible and useful for facilitating imaging interpretation and improving the accuracy of 99mTc-RBC scintigraphy in patients with acute lower GI bleeding.
Hemorrage; Lower gastrointestinal tract; Tomography, emission-computed, single-photon; Tomography, X-ray computed
Settore MED/36 - Diagnostica per Immagini e Radioterapia
giu-2009
http://www.minervamedica.it/en/journals/nuclear-med-molecular-imaging/index.php
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/67922
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