[Clinical evaluation of hepatic scintigraphy using 99mTc-GSA]

Functional hepatic imaging was performed using 99mTc-DTPA-galactosyl human serum albumin (99mTc-GSA), a radiolabeled ligand that reacts specifically to the asialoglycoprotein receptor that resides at the plasma membrane of hepatocytes, in 21 patients: five with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 14 with compensative liver cirrhosis (LC), one with chronic inactive hepatitis and one with acute hepatitis. The former two diseases were mainly investigated. Serial liver images were acquired at the rates of 10 sec/frame for 0-5 min and 2 min/frame for 6-30 min after the injection of 99mTc-GSA, and the images were compared with 99mTc-phytate images in 2 patients with CAH and 11 with LC, and those with portal scintigrams using 123I-iodoamphetamine (IMP) in 3 patients with LC. The images using 99mTc-GSA were in better agreement with hepatic function than those using 99mTc-phytate, and with the findings of portal scintigraphy using 123I-IMP. LHL15 (liver/liver and heart radioactivities at 15 min after the injection of 99mTc-GSA) correlated with the hepaplastin test (r = 0.978 in CAH, and r = 0.544 in LC), indicators of hepatic reserve. These results suggest that liver scintigraphy using 99mTc-GSA might be a useful method for evaluating liver function.