[Interpretations of uptake defects in hepatic scintiscanning]

The absence of precise parameters for the interpretation of defective uptake means that personal experience is of great assistance in the examination of scintiscans. Classification of uptake defects in 208 cases was carried out by two experts in accordance with the following parameters: 1) irregular uptake or distinct defects; 2) central or peripheral defects; 3) increased size of the liver picture; 4) uptake by the spleen. Irregular uptake or central or peripheral uptake defects (with or without spleen uptake in each case) were observed as categories. The series as a whole showed that peripheral defects are associated with a greater frequency of false positives, and diagnosis must therefore be checked, spleen uptake is an accurate pointer to diffuse chronic hepatopathy, and central defects are indicative of substitutive pathology.