Gallium 67 citrate scanning in the diagnosis of intraabdominal abscess

Fifty-one consecutive gallium scans in fifty patients with suspected intraabdominal abscess are reviewed. There were twelve true-positive, seven false-positive, twenty-nine true-negative, and two false-negative scans. Accumulation of gallium in the colon and in areas of healing and repair caused soem interpretive difficulty. Despite a significant number of false-positive results, we believe that gallium scanning is a valuable diagnostic tool. Careful attention to technic and cautious interpretation should significantly reduce false-positive and false-negative scans.