Related Experiment Videos
Choledochal cyst mimicking gallbladder in Tc-99m disofenin radionuclide cholescintigraphy
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung Medical College, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Insights
A pediatric choledochal cyst case showed normal, early filling on a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan, contrasting with prior findings. This suggests nuclear imaging of choledochal cysts can be variable.
Area of Science:
- Hepatobiliary imaging
- Pediatric surgery
- Diagnostic radiology
Background:
- Choledochal cysts are congenital bile duct dilations.
- Post-surgical complications can include abdominal pain and vomiting.
- Previous nuclear imaging studies emphasized delayed cyst filling.
Observation:
- A 6-year-old girl presented with post-cholecystectomy symptoms.
- Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (Hctc-99m disofenin) scintigraphy revealed early visualization of a choledochal cyst.
- The cyst demonstrated normal contraction following an egg meal.
Findings:
- The observed early filling and contraction contradict earlier reports of delayed filling and stasis.
- This case highlights the variability in nuclear imaging findings for choledochal cysts.
- Clinical presentation of choledochal cysts can also be diverse.
Implications:
- Nuclear imaging findings for choledochal cysts may not always align with traditional descriptions.
- Radiologists and surgeons should consider imaging variability in diagnosing choledochal cysts.
- Further research into the spectrum of choledochal cyst imaging is warranted.
Abstract:
A 6-year-old girl suffered from intermittent abdominal pain and bile-stained vomiting after undergoing cholecystectomy for perforated gallbladder and bile peritonitis when she was 2 years old. The interesting finding of her choledochal cyst, which was visualized 5 minutes after the injection of Tc-99m disofenin and contracted well after an egg meal, is reported. This finding is inconsistent with those of early reports, which emphasized delayed filling and stasis of radioactivity in the dilated cyst. This case, together with more recent reports in this field, suggests that nuclear images of choledochal cyst, like its clinical presentation, may be quite variable.