Scintigraphic diagnosis of protein-losing enteropathy secondary to amyloidosis.
Protein-losing enteropathy is an uncommon syndrome of excessive loss of protein via the gastrointestinal mucosa. 99mTc-dextran scintigraphy was performed on a 42-year-old woman with protein-losing enteropathy. She had secondary amyloidosis due to rheumatoid arthritis. Abnormal leakage of the radiotracer was observed in the mid-abdominal region suggesting the site of protein loss. It is concluded that 99mTc-dextran scintigraphy is useful as a noninvasive and simple test for the imaging and confirmation of diagnosis in protein-losing enteropathy.
Akgün
Ayşegül
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir, Turkey. aakgun@med.ege.edu.tr
Tani Acar
Ebru
E
Taner
Memduh Sami
MS
Ozcan
Zehra
Z
Ok
Ercan
E
D000328:Adult; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications; D003911:Dextrans; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011504:Protein-Losing Enteropathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D003911:Dextrans; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C034146:technetium Tc 99m dextran