Abstract
Twenty-three subjects who had a splenectomy as a result of trauma underwent scintigraphic evaluation with a sensitive heat-denatured 99mTc-labeled red blood cells (DRBC). This method enabled detectin of ectopic splenic tissue foci (ESTF) as small as 1×1 cm in diameter. ESTF splenosis or accessory spleen was detected in 15 cases (65%), a higher incidence than previously reported. The size of the ESTF ranged from 1×1 to 5×10 cm (0.8–40 cm2), and 53% were less than 2×2 cma (3 cm2). A new multiparametric scintigraphic evaluating technique is described, which estimates the quantity of ESTF and its grade of activity, relative to that of the liver. The technique is a highly efficient assessor of ESTF function. Good correlation was found between the size and activity of the ESTF and the presence of Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB), but with a low sensitivity for detecting small ESTF. Correlation was low between residual splenic tissue and concentrations of IgM, IgA and IgG immunoglobulins. The 99mTc-DRBC method described is recommended for verification of ESTF existence, localization, and function.
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Tzila Zwas, S., Samra, D., Samra, Y. et al. Scintigraphic assessment of ectopic splenic tissue localization and function following splenectomy for trauma. Eur J Nucl Med 12, 125–129 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276704
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276704