Usefulness of emission CT in the liver

Since April in 1980, we have been performing single photon emission tomography of the liver, using rotating chair and rotating scintillation camera, as a routin examination. We experienced about 500 cases, in which 141 cases were also examined by XCT and the final diagnosis of these cases was confirmed by clinical course including other examinations. The detection rate of SOL was 96.4% in XCT, 92.9% in ECT, 82.1% in Scintigram. Among modes of section of ECT (transverse, frontal, sagital), the detection rate was 84.3% in frontal section, 82.9% in transverse section and 72.9% in sagital section. In conclusion, ECT is useful in the detection of space occupying lesions as routine examination, and we think that the combination of scintigram, ECT of transverse and frontal section is a very favourable and useful method from the clinical consideration comparing with other methods; Echography, XCT, and Angiography. (author)