Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy for detecting perigraft flow following endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: A feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if scintigraphy with Tc-99m sulfur colloid can be used to detect perigraft flow after stent-graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).


METHODS
Twenty-three men and two women aged 56-84 years (mean 71 years) underwent endoluminal AAA repair as part of the EVT Phase II trial [EVT = Endovascular Technologies (Menlo Park, CA, USA)]. Aneurysm size averaged 5.4 cm (range 3-8 cm). Sixteen bifurcated, seven tube, and two aorto-uniiliac grafts were placed. Two days after stent-graft placement, patients underwent both contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), including delayed views, and Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy.


RESULTS
Perigraft flow was found in only one patient at completion of angiography. Four additional patients had perigraft flow, discovered during their postoperative follow-up CT. Four patients had leaks at an attachment site and one had retrograde branch flow. Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy failed to diagnose any of the five leaks prospectively. In two of these patients, however, some abnormal paraaortic activity was noted in retrospect.


CONCLUSIONS
Tc-99m sulfur colloid scintigraphy was unable to demonstrate endoleak with either rapid flow (attachment site leak) or slow filling (branch flow).
Hovsepian
D M
DM
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Siegel
B A
BA
Kimbiris
G
G
Sicard
G A
GA
Allen
B T
BT
Picus
D
D
D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery*; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015607:Stents; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid