[Detection of common bile duct stones by hepatobiliary scintigraphy]

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy and direct X-ray cholangiography were compared in 29 patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones confirmed at surgery. The scintigraphic findings included no visualization of the biliary system (NV), pooling of bile in the biliary system (PB), prolonged transit time over 60 min (PTT), filling defect in the CBD image (FD), and reflux of bile toward the intrahepatic ducts after gallbladder stimulation (RB). The positive rates of NV, PB, PTT, FD, and RB in patients with CBD stones were 7%, 31%, 17%, 48%, and 14%, respectively. One or more of these five findings was found in 83%. Although the NV was a useful finding suggesting complete obstruction of the CBD, it shared little in the diagnosis of CBD stone. The positive rate of the PB was relatively high and it would be a useful finding as an indication of the presence of passage disturbance of the CBD. The PB was usually accompanied by the FD. The PTT had some usefulness in the detection of incomplete obstruction of the CBD in patients with a visualized gallbladder. In patients with no visualization of the gallbladder, however, the transit time tended to be shorter than that of gallbladder visualized patients. Therefore, the judgment of PTT in patients with no visualized gallbladder needed another criteria. The FD was the most frequent among the five findings and the sites of FD correlated well with CBD stones on direct X-ray cholangiography. The FD would be a reliable finding indicating CBD stone or CBD stenosis. Although the RB was a finding limited in patients with a visualized gallbladder, it seemed to be a helpful findings for the detection of CBD stone in patients with a mildly dilated CBD.