Hepatic cavernous hemangioma: a potential pitfall during evaluation of gastrointestinal bleeding with 99mTc-labeled...

The purpose of this report is to underscore one previously unreported hepatic parenchymal lesion detected during evaluation of occult lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. In more than 90% of the patients harboring the lesion, the individual remains asymptomatic, requires no intervention, and closed biopsy is contraindicated: hepatic cavernous hemangioma. Whereas the list is expanding of normal and abnormal structures which can interfere with the interpretation of scintigraphic gastrointestinal bleeding studies accomplished with 99mTc-labeled erythrocytes, it is absolutely necessary to demonstrate intestinal transit of the activity, in order to discount detected activity in either nonhemorrhagic lesions or normal structures as the nidus of suspected bleeding.