Abnormal gallium-67 skull uptake: a sign of peripheral marrow activation in HIV-positive patients with disseminated mycobacterioses.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of abnormal 67Ga-citrate skull uptake in AIDS patients with mycobacterioses.


METHODS
Gallium-67 scans of 39 HIV-positive patients who have been diagnosed with mycobacterioses were analyzed; the scans of 15 consecutive HIV-positive patients without mycobacterioses were also reviewed as a control group. The skull was chosen to assess bone marrow uptake because of the absence of overlapping structures.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine of 39 (74%) patients with mycobacterial infections had disseminated disease. Gallium-67 uptake in the skull was visualized in 24 of these 29 patients (82%). One of the patients without disseminated disease and one patient in the control group (n = 15) showed skull uptake.


CONCLUSIONS
Abnormal 67Ga skull uptake appears to be a sensitive (82%) and specific (82%) indicator of disseminated mycobacterial infection in HIV-positive patients.
Nuclear Medicine Service, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
M
M
del Val Gomez
F G
FG
Gallardo
J
J
Cobo
J M
JM
Castro-Beiras
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002951:Citrates; D019343:Citric Acid; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012886:Skull / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014391:Tuberculosis, Miliary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D002951:Citrates; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019343:Citric Acid