title: Scintigraphic diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding with 99Tcm-dextran.
abstract: Intravenously administered dextran is used clinically as a plasma expander. The aim of this study was to assess the use of 99Tcm-dextran in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) blood leaks. Twenty-one patients with GI blood loss underwent 99Tcm-dextran scintigraphy, 17 of whom were found to be positive. Pathologic or 99Tcm-RBC (red blood cell) blood pool correlation was possible in 15 cases, while 2 were unconfirmed. No case had a positive 99Tcm-RBC blood pool study and a negative 99Tcm-dextran study. Images obtained with 99Tcm-dextran were generally better than those with 99Tcm-RBC. This agent may have several other advantages over 99Tcm-RBC blood pool and 99Tcm-sulphur colloid scintigraphy for detecting GI blood loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhatnagar
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lahoti
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chakravarty
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rawat
authors.forename: U P
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mondal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003911:Dextrans / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016698:Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; C034146:technetium Tc 99m dextran; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D016698:Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate