Clinical Applications Diverticula. (Prepared by Dr Isabel Berrocal).
Male 75 y/o with
lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Arrow points to area of RBCs accumulation in
the left upper abdominal quadrant, most likely in the descending colon.
Endoscopy revealed diverticula in the colonic segment
99mTc-labeled erythrocyte scans are performed by acquiring flow images, followed
by sequential static or dynamic images for 60 to 90 minutes or until bleeding is
confirmed. These scans demonstrate bleeding rates as low as 0.1 to 0.2 ml per
minute. To detect intermittent bleeding, delayed imaging may be done as long as
24 hours after the 99mTc-RBC is administered. The sensitivity of the 99mTc-RBC
scans was 93%, specificity 95%, and accuracy 94%.
References:
1 Holder L. E.. Radionuclide Imaging in the Evaluation of Acute
Gastrointestinal Bleeding. RadioGraphics 2000; 20:1153–1159.
2 Howarth D. The Role of Nuclear Medicine in the Detection of Acute
Gastrointestinal Bleeding.Seminars in nuclear medicine 2006;Vol36,2:133-146.