Natural course of changes in hepatic functional reserve in patients with chronic liver diseases evaluated by scintigraphy with GSA.

Hepatic functional reserve can be evaluated in a noninvasive way by scintigraphy with 99mTc-DTPA-galactosyl human serum albumin (99mTc-GSA). We monitored hepatic functional reserve in patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis using scintigraphy with 99mTc-GSA to determine the natural course of changes in their hepatic functional reserve. Computer acquisition of gamma-camera data was started before the injection of 185 MBq of 99mTc-GSA and was stopped 20 min later. Time-activity curves were generated from ROI for the heart and liver. A receptor index and index of blood clearance were calculated from radioactivity in the heart and liver. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-GSA was performed in 12 healthy subjects, 86 patients with chronic hepatitis, and 226 patients with cirrhosis. Seventy-two patients (23 with chronic hepatitis, 32 with cirrhosis in Child-Pugh stage A, 15 in stage B, and 2 in stage C) were examined at least twice with 12-72 months intervening. The receptor index was lower for more severe disorders, decreasing in the order of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in stages A, B, and C. The index of blood clearance was higher for more severe disorders, increasing in the order of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in stages A, B, and C. The mean annual change in the receptor index with chronic hepatitis was -0.0007, that with cirrhosis in stage A was -0.0023, and that with cirrhosis in stage B or C was -0.0117. The difference between the median annual change with cirrhosis in stage B or C and that with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis in stage A was not significant (P=0.064 and 0.251, respectively). The mean annual change in the index of blood clearance with chronic hepatitis was 0.0018, that with cirrhosis in stage A was 0.0060, and that with cirrhosis in stage B or C was 0.0330. The difference between the median annual change in the index of blood clearance with cirrhosis in stage B or C and that with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis in stage A was significant (P=0.004 and 0.007, respectively). Hepatic receptor imaging with 99mTc-GSA could be used to noninvasively evaluate the hepatic reserve of various liver diseases. Changes in hepatic functional reserve were not steady; it decreased gradually as disease advanced from chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis in Child-Pugh stage A, and decrease rapidly after development of stage B cirrhosis.