TC-99m-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy in the investigation of patients with hepatic cavernous hemangioma.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 99mTc-red blood cell scintigraphy in the diagnosis of hepatic cavernous hemangiomas.


METHODS
Sixty three patients, 56 females (89%) and 7 males (1 I%), with ages between 22 and 54 years (median 33 years) were investigated for liver masses found on ultrasonography of the abdomen. All the patients had undergone 99mTc-liver-spleen scan followed by 99mTc-red blood cells scintigraphy. The size of the lesions ranged between 3 and 9 cm. The final diagnosis was reached through cytology, and/or histopathology or follow up for more than 3 years.


RESULTS
A total of 70 lesions were found as a single lesion in 60 patients and multiple (i.e. total of 10 lesions) in the other 3 patients. The results of 99mTc-red blood cells scintigraphy, compared to the results of the final diagnosis, showed sensitivity and specificity rates of 100% and 89% respectively, positive and negative predictive values of 98% and 100% respectively, and accuracy rate of 98.6%. A single false positive case was a hepatocellular carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
99mTc- red blood cell scintigraphy is highly accurate in the diagnosis of liver cavernous hemangioma and should characterize liver mass found on ultrasonography and suspected for hemangioma.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
M
M
El-Desouki
M
M
Mohamadiyeh
R
R
Al-Rashed
S
S
Othman
T
T
Malabary
I
I
Al-Mofleh