title: Nuclear medicine evaluation of focal fatty infiltration of the liver.
abstract: Focal fatty infiltration of the liver (FFIL) occasionally may be mistaken as metastatic disease, primary liver malignancy, or other space-occupying lesions on CT or ultrasound studies, especially if there is significant mass effect. In these confusing cases, Xe-133 liver imaging has been advocated for confirmation of FFIL, since such studies have been reported to be sensitive and specific. The authors present results of four Xe-133 and four Tc-99m sulfur colloid scans in six patients with FFIL. Xe-133 imaging was found useful for diagnostic confirmation in only one patient and was misleading in the other three. Routine liver-spleen imaging was a more reliable method of confirmation, since no focal defects were found in any of the patients.
mesh_terms: D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid