1986 Volume 27 Issue 9 Pages 1323-1330
Scintiphotosplenoportography using 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin and ultrasonography were perfomed in 33 patients with chronic liver diseases. In 25 of these patients percutaneous transhepatic portography was also carried out, and in other 8 patients celiac angiography was done.
Scintiphotosplenoportography was compared with other image diagnoses in the detection of portosystemic collaterals.
Scintiphotosplenoportography detected the left gastric veins in 75% of the patients, the detection rate being significantly better than 32% by ultrasonography. Scintiphotosplenoportography and ultrasonography were almost the same in the detection of the paraumbilical vein, splello-renal shunts and short gastric veins. Scintiphotosplenoportography was performed before and after percutaneous transhepatic variceal obliteration, or endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy in 7 patients with esophageal varices. The effects of the therapy for varices could be assessed from RI images and changes of hepatic shunt index by scintiphotosplenoportography. Thus, scintiphotosplenoportography proved to be a useful diagnostic tool in the investigation of portosystemic collaterals.
