[Hepatobiliary scintigraphy in evaluation of liver transplant function]

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Hepatology
• Transplant Surgery

Background:

• Liver transplantation is a critical procedure for end-stage liver disease.
• Monitoring post-transplant liver function and biliary integrity is essential for patient outcomes.
• Hepatobiliary scintigraphy offers a noninvasive approach to assess liver function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate hepatocellular function, morphology, and biliary tree patency in liver transplant recipients.
• To assess the utility of dynamic hepatobiliary scintigraphy in monitoring liver transplants.
• To compare scintigraphic parameters between liver transplant patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Dynamic hepatobiliary scintigraphy using 99mTc-diethyl-IDA was performed on 10 liver transplant patients and 10 controls.
• Scintigrams were analyzed for morphology, and time-activity curves (Tmax, T1/2) were generated.
• Parameters assessed included radiopharmaceutical uptake, excretion, and intra- and extrahepatic bile flow.

Main Results:

• Hepatocellular uptake was slightly delayed in transplant patients (Tmax=18.5 min) vs. controls (Tmax=14.2 min).
• Biliary excretion was significantly prolonged in transplant patients (T1/2=59.5 min) vs. controls (T1/2=34.2 min).
• Extrahepatic bile flow was significantly prolonged (T1/2=89.0 min) in transplant patients compared to controls (T1/2=45.0 min).

Conclusions:

• Dynamic hepatobiliary scintigraphy is a sensitive and valuable noninvasive tool for monitoring liver transplant function.
• The study demonstrated significantly prolonged biliary excretion and extrahepatic bile flow in liver transplant recipients.
• Radionuclide imaging aids in the early detection of potential complications in liver transplant patients.