CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS OF HEPATOBILIARY RADIONUCLIDE IMAGING

Iminodiacetic analogs (IDA) undergo the same metabolism as bilirubin and organic anions. After hepatocyte uptake, IDA analogs are excreted in the biliary tree and eliminated in the intestine. Technetium-99m-labeled IDA analogs provide liver and biliary tract images showing a progression from uptake to elimination. Several clinical applications are now available far the investigation of liver or biliary diseases. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy is particularly sensitive and highly specific to identify biliary atresia, acute cholecystitis and bile leak. It can also be also performed as a liver function test. It is the only technique providing real-time assessment of bile progression from the liver to the intestine.