Ga-67 scintigraphy in lupus nephritis.
Lupus nephritis is a disease characterized by flareups and remissions. Evaluation of disease activity is important for therapeutic decisions and prognosis. In this study, 46 patients with lupus nephritis were evaluated by Ga-67 scintigraphy. Delayed 48-hour Ga-67 images were performed to evaluate kidney uptake. A patient with a 24-hour urinary protein excretion of 3 g or more or a serum creatinine level greater than 1.5 mg/dl was considered to have active lupus nephritis. Renal disease was active in 22 patients and inactive in 24 patients. Of the 22 patients with active renal disease, 18 (81.8%) showed positive Ga-67 results, whereas only 12.5% (3 of 24) of patients with inactive renal disease showed a positive Ga-67 study. The difference between the two groups was significant. Patients with positive Ga-67 scans had a significantly higher serum creatinine level and 24-hour urine protein value than patients with negative Ga-67 scans. In addition, all of the patients (100%) with a 24-hour urine protein greater than 4 g/day had a positive Ga-67 scan. It appears that Ga-67 scintigraphy is useful for the evaluation of disease activity in lupus nephritis.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, and Chung-Tai College of Medical Technology, Taiwan.
W Y
WY
Lin
K Y
KY
Cheng
S J
SJ
Wang
D000328:Adult; D002951:Citrates; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005708:Gallium; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000175:diagnosis; D011866:Radioisotope Renography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D002951:Citrates; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D003404:Creatinine; D005708:Gallium; C103850:gallium citrate