title: Incidental gallbladder visualization on nonhepatobiliary nuclear medicine studies: case series and review of the literature.
abstract: Gallbladder uptake is occasionally encountered with commonly used nonhepatobiliary radiopharmaceuticals. Identification of the biliary tract by a nonhepatobiliary agent can identify disease, such as uptake of labeled white blood cells. However, in most cases, gallbladder uptake of nonhepatobiliary tracers is not due to pathology in these cases. It is important to avoid attributing gallbladder uptake to disease in the gallbladder or adjacent anatomic structures. We present 3 cases of unexpected gallbladder tracer uptake and provide a review of the literature describing incidental gallbladder uptake on nonhepatobiliary nuclear medicine studies. The potential for misdiagnosis and the steps taken to avoid this are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Niederkohr
authors.forename: I Ross
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: McDougall
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000592:standards*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D017263:Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017263:Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide; D013004:Somatostatin; C081788:pentetreotide