title: Splenic infarction as a pitfall on labeled red blood cell imaging.
abstract: Patient with a history of overt gastrointestinal bleeding, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, polycythemia vera, and choledocojejunostomy was hospitalized because of hematemesis and melena. An area of Technetium-99m labeled red blood cells accumulation at the splenic flexure similar to an overt bleeding area, was observed on gastrointestinal bleeding scintigraphy (GIBS). In case of underlying malignancy, abdominal computed tomography was performed and demonstrated the infarction area placed laterally in spleen, appearing as a cold region on sctintigraphic image, separating the inferomedial and upper part of splenic uptake. Splenic variants and pathologies can complicate interpretation of GIBS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030 Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gul Ege
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Aktas
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030 Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Selin Soyluoglu
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030 Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Genchellac
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030 Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarikaya
keywords: Gastrointestinal bleeding scintigraphy; labeled red blood cells; splenic infarction