Pattern Analysis of 67 Gallium Scintigraphy in Sarcoidosis

Background: 67 Ga scintigraphy has been used for years in sarcoidosis for diagnosis and to determine the extent of the disease. The present report is a study of various findings of Ga-67 scintigraphy in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Between 1998 and 2007, 16 patients (male: female, 6: 10; age, 35.9 +/- 15.3 years) with histologically proven sarcoidosis underwent clinical evaluation and Ga-67 scintigraphy. According to the site of involvement, they were divided into subtypes and analyzed. Results: Sixteen patients with sarcoidosis had involvement of various organs, including lymph nodes (13/16, 81.3%), lung (3/16, 18.8%), muscle (1/16, 6.3%), subcutaneous tissue (1/16, 6.3%), glands (1/16, 6.3%), and bone (1/16, 6.3%). Sites of involved lymph nodes were thorax (12/13, 92.3%), supraclavicular area (5/13, 38.5%), inguinal area (2/13, 15.4%), abdomen (2/13, 15.4%), and pelvis (1/13, 7.7%). Conclusion: Because sarcoidosis frequently involves multiple organs, Ga-67 scintigraphy is a useful method in for evaluating the whole body. Nuclear medicine physicians should be familiar with the various findings of gallium uptake in sarcoidosis.