Arterial and venous thrombus imaging using Ga-67 DFO-DAS-fibrinogen: its clinical applicability

The purpose of this study was the clinical application of 67Ga-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen 67Ga-fibrinogen in normal volunteers and patients with arterial or venous therombus, or bypass graft. DFO-DAS-fibrinogen was available as a lyophilized product and easily labeled by simple mixing with 67Ga-fibrinogen solution (2 mCi/2 ml). Images were taken by a scintillation camera 72 hours after the venous injection of 67Ga-fibrinogen (2 mCi). Ga-67 fibrinogen accumulated well in the liver and kidney in normal volunteers at the early stage, and radioactivity in the kidney, lung, and heart decreased after noticeably after 48 hours postinjection. Ga-67 fibrinogen clearly visualized fresh and old arterial thrombi localized in the thorax or abdomen of all patients suffering aneurysm, and in occlusive bypass graft, contrary to past observations with labeled fibrinogen. In venous thrombus, with the pulmonary artery included, visualization was limited to fresh thrombi of up to one month old. No adverse side effects were observed in any case.