Gallium-67 and subpherenic abscesses--is delayed scintigraphy necessary?

Forty postoperative patients with clinical and roentgenographic findings suggestive of subphrenic abscess were evaluated by early and delayed 67Ga scintigraphy. Early 67Ga scintigraphs obtained 6 hr after injection correctly localized seven right and five left subphrenic abscesses. In no instance was an abscess present on delayed scintigraphs that was not evident on the 6-hr study. Two patients with left subphrenic abscess had false-negative results on both early and delayed scintigraphy. No false-positive studies were recorded. Early 67Ga scintigraphy can be a valuable noninvasive adjunct of the diagnosis of subphrenic abscess.