title: Functional asplenia and portal hypertension in a patient with primary splenic hemangiosarcoma.
abstract: A 60-year-old man with primary splenic hemangiosarcoma (PSH) presented with weakness, weight loss, abdominal pain, and anemia. Physical examination revealed hepatomegaly, ascites, and firm, huge splenomegaly. Ultrasonography showed many nodular structures characterized by hypoechogenic and hyperechogenic areas. The patient also had portal hypertension, which was confirmed by physical findings and by measurement of portal vein pressure during operation. A liver-spleen scan using Tc-99m sulfur colloid and Tc-99m labeled heat denatured erythrocytes failed to demonstrate any splenic uptake, a reliable feature of functional asplenia. Although on a total body scan with Ga-67 citrate there was no splenic uptake, there was gallium uptake in the liver, where the presence of the metastatic lesion was histopathologically verified and confirmed by operation. There was also uptake in the middle zones of the lungs. Ga-67 citrate imaging appears to be helpful in the diagnosis of metastasis of PSH, and PSH can rarely cause portal hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Yücel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Durak
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bernay
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bayraktar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bekdik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Telatar
mesh_terms: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes