PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thorson, Linda M.
AU  - Becker, Gilbert P.
AU  - Wahner, Heinz W.
TI  - Subtraction Technique in the Diagnosis of Abdominal Abscesses
DP  - 1978 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
PG  - 11--16
VI  - 6
IP  - 1
4099  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/6/1/11.short
4100  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/6/1/11.full
SO  - J. Nucl. Med. Technol.1978 Mar 01; 6
AB  - The number of false-positive gallium scans (gallium in the gastrointestinal tract) and false-negative scans (gallium not labeling abdominal inflammatory masses) can be reduced by employing subtraction techniques that accurately localize isotopically labeled organs such as liver, spleen, stomach, upper gastrointestinal tract, kidney, and bladder, using a gamma camera with an on-line computer. A gallium scan is performed first. Then without repositioning, the patient receives a Tc-99m-labeled radiopharmaceutical to label liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, and bladder. Software that allows one to superimpose or subtract the Tc-99m-labeled organ onto the gallium scan, thus accurately defining its borders, is described. This method is helpful in evaluating regions of the abdomen generally obscured by normal gallium uptake in organs, such as liver or spleen, and in outlining abdominal masses with no gallium uptake.