[The determination by computed scintigraphy of the evacuation time of the resected stomach under the administration of salbutamol and dopamine]. / Determinarea prin scintigrafie computerizata a timpului de evacuare a stomaculul rezecat, în conditiile administrarii de salbutamol si dopamina.

The evacuation time (T1/2) of the stomach was determined in the patients with partial gastric resection by a sequential computerized scintigraphic method. The effect of Salbutamol and Dopamine was followed on T1/2 and the scintigraphic surface of the stomach (appreciated indirectly by measuring the longitudinal and transversal diameters). Salbutamol prolongs significantly T1/2, from 6.41 +/- 2.72 minutes to 12.33 +/- 6.45 minutes. The scintigraphic surface of the resected stomach is not slightly modified by Salbutamol. Dopamine prolongs very much T1/2, from 13.00 +/- 4.01 minutes to 75.03 +/- 24.36 minutes, in parallel with the increase of the scintigraphic image of the stomach. Our investigations lead to the conclusion that Salbutamol, given per os, may become a new therapeutic mean in the dumping syndrome.

The clearance of colloidal particles by Kupffer cells in collagen disease.

The Kupffer cells clearance of colloidal 198Au particles with a diameter of 200-300 A was estimated in 14 subjects with different collagen diseases: 7 without previous treatment and 7 under immunodepressive treatment compared to 10 controls. No difference between the subjects with collagen disease and controls was observed. The group with collagen disease under immunodepressive treatment has lower Kupffer cells clearance for colloidal gold particles than non-treated patients, without statistical significance.

[Our experience in testing the lacrimal drainage system using radionuclides (nuclear dacryocystography with 99mTc O4)]. / Experienta noastra în testarea sistemului de drenaj lacrimal, cu radionuclizi (dacriocistografia nucleara cu 99mTc O4).

The function of the lacrimal drainage system was tested in 5 patients and 3 controls by scintigraphy with a Pho-GAMMA HP-1206 Nuclear scanner Chicago, coupled with a visualization system and data processing device of type MB 9101-GAMMA.

Delayed gastric emptying in rx-negative dyspepsia.

In 9 out of 11 subjects with upper digestive dyspepsia: pyrosis, nausea, emesis, bloating, with negative roentgenological findings, a radioisotopic test detected a delayed gastric emptying. The investigation was based on a 500 ml saline meal including lmCi (3.7 MBq) 113m In-DTPA. For the sequential detection of the radioactivity in front of the epigastric area a gammacamera was used. This was linked to a microcomputer processing the histograms of the curves and estimating the half-time of the gastric emptying (normal value 8-25 min). The results suggest the need for prokinetic drugs in the management of symptoms due to functional pathology.

Gastric sequential scintigraphy. Methodology with liquid isotonic meal.

The radioisotopic measurement of gastric emptying offers information about an aspect of gastric motility. A procedure performed in our laboratory is presented. It is based on the ingestion of 500 ml saline including 1 mCi (3.7 MBq)113m In-DTPA or 99Tc-DTPA. The subject is placed in a half-supine position. Radioactive counts of the tracer are collected with a gammacamera and processed with a microcomputer, using a special program. This offers the histograms of the whole stomach and of the regions of interest (proximal and distal stomach), and also the half-time of these curves. Normal values range between 8-25 min for each curve half-time. The method has applications in physiology, pharmacology and clinical diagnosis.

The gastric 99mTc clearance--a technique for the evaluation of the gastric blood flow.

The gastric mucosa blood flow was investigated using the 99mTc clearance. Besides the clearance the "R" ratio, total radioactivity of the gastric juice and the volume of gastric juice (ml/15 min) were also investigated. The main characteristics of the method are its reproducibility and the parallelism existing between: clearance, the "R" ratio and total radioactivity. The parameters investigated reach a maximum 30-45 min after administration of 99mTc; consequently, to evaluate gastric blood flow, it is sufficient to determine the parameters at this time interval. The 99mTc clearance represents an accessible method for the evaluation blood circulation in the gastric mucosa.

Liver blood flow (LBF) estimated by Kupffer cells clearance in health and disease.

Liver blood flow (LBF) in normal state and in diseases suspected to impair liver perfusion has been estimated by an indirect method, based on the removal by Kupffer cells of the colloidal particles from the circulation. 150 microCl 198Au have been used and the results have been expressed through percentual decrease from the theoretical value. In chronic liver disease there is a progressive reduction of the Kupffer cells clearance and of the LBF corresponding to the severity of the liver impairment. There is a mild decrease in LBF in heart failure. In liver tumours and collagenoses, the values are like in normals.

Colchicine treatment effects on liver cirrhosis assessed by liver blood flow measurements.

Hepatic fibrosis is common in all chronic liver diseases. This fibrosis induces morphological, functional and hemodynamic changes. Among the antifibrotic drugs, colchicine gave the most encouraging results. In a group of 22 patients with liver cirrhosis, the hemodynamic changes were studied before and after 24 months of antifibrotic treatment with colchicine (1 mg daily, 5 days a week). The liver blood flow (LBF) was estimated every year by a noninvasive radioisotopic method. After colchicine therapy the determinations showed, an obvious improvement of the liver blood flow with an increase of K (from 0.159 to 0.1678) (p less than 0.001) and a per cent decrease of delta from 44 to 32 (p less than 0.001), thus showing an improvement of the liver blood supply. The simultaneous and favourable changes of the liver biochemical tests and of the sinusoidal hemodynamic parameters strongly suggest that the perfusion improvement, induced by a loss of liver collagen, might explain the tendency of the biochemical data to resume normal values.

[Contribution of sequential scintigraphy with 131I-BSP to the differential diagnosis of jaundice (author's transl)]. / Der Beitrag der sequentiellen Szintigraphie mit 131J-BSP zur Ikterus-Differentialdiagnose.

Patients with constitutional hyperbilirubinemia and with extra intrahepatic cholestasis have been explored by means of sequential scintigraphy, with the following results: 1. in Gilbert's syndrome liver uptake and output of 131I-BSP were normal; 2. in the Dubin-Johnson syndrome liver uptake and plasma clearance of 131I-BSP were normal; the substance was retained for a long period (2 hrs) in the liver without any tendency to be excreted; 3. in the Rotor syndrome 131I-BSP uptake was delayed and liver clearance prolonged; 4. in total biliary obstruction no intestinal activity could be recorded even in the late registrations (the latest after 24 hrs); 5. in partial extrahepatic biliary obstruction there was a normal liver uptake with an abnormal retention in the choledochus and a delayed excretion (more than 2 hrs); and 6. in intrahepatic cholestasis 131I-BSP liver uptake, retention and excretion were delayed; differentiation of these cases from total biliary obstruction is difficult. Late determinations, the last 24 hrs after injection of the tracer, were performed in these cases, in order to exclude a total obstruction with parenchymal injuries, by assessing the enteral output.

[Electronic data processing of liver scintigrams in chronic hepatitis (author's transl)]. / Elektronische Datenverarbeitung von Leberszintigrammen bei der chronischen Hepatitis.

Following administration of 150 muCi of colloidal 198Au numerical scintigrams of the liver and the spleen were obtained in about 200 patients with various forms of chronic hepatitis or with liver cirrhosis as well as in 24 control persons. The data so obtained were electronically processed and the relative activities of the liver, the spleen and both liver lobes compared. Differences of diagnostic value were observed between the various stages of chronic hepatitis.