Tc-99m-GSA liver scintigraphy in alcoholic liver cirrhosis

Abstract

We compared 15 alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients with 10 viral liver cirrhosis patients using technetium-99m-galactosyl human serum albumin (Tc-99m-GSA) liver scintigraphy and could clinically reveal the disorder of metabolism of asialoglycoprotein in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Receptor index (LHL 15) was significantly (p<0.01) lower in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (median: 0.821), compared with patients with viral cirrhosis (0.915). Grading score, witch was an index showed by the difference in the isotope uptake patterns between liver and heart, was significantly (p<0.01) worse in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, compared with patients with viral cirrhosis. These results suggested that alcoholic liver cirrhosis had a specific disorder of a metabolic function for asialoglycoprotein.