Radionuclide assessment of peritoneo-venous shunt patency

LeVeen shunt patency can be easily assessed by sequential scintigraphy with a gamma camera after an intraperitoneal injection of Tc-99m-macroaggregated albumin (Tc-99m-MAA). If the shunt is patent, the particles of MAA reach the pulmonary capillary bed and the lungs are visualized. The activity in the lungs is easily discerned without any interference from radioactivity in the peritoneal cavity. The study is semiquantitative since the intensity of lung activity is directly proportional to the shunt patency and flow rate across shunt tubing.