Hepatoscintigraphy with 99mTc-colloid in children with liver cirrhosis

Children aged 2 to 14 with the initial, formed and terminal stages of liver cirrhosis were examined by a method of radionuclide scintigraphy with 99mTc-colloid. A set of indices characterizing function of the reticuloendothelial system (RES), the effective hepatic blood flow, metric parameters of the liver and spleen were obtained from an analysis of the curves of the heart, liver and spleen area, and digital imaging of the liver with the marked costal arch. It was shown that at the initial stage of disease indices of the time course of the radioactive colloid were of compensated nature. Spleen function was elevated, liver and spleen sizes were increased. The formed stage was characterized by the signs of subcompensation of liver function: changes of indices of RP retention in the blood, a decrease in the indices of the total and hepatic radioactive colloid. The terminal stage was characterized by marked disorder of liver RES function which was not compensated for by a high splenic uptake, image deformation and focal RP distribution. Irrespective of a stage of disease the syndrome of portal hypertension was shown to manifest itself in splenomegaly and an increase in the radioactive colloid uptake by the liver over 15%. The accuracy of the set of signs was 90%