[The value of gallium 67 citrate in the diagnosis and localisation of deep-seated abdominal abscesses (author's transl)].

Six French Departments of Nuclear Medicine have pooled their results of Gallium 67 citrate scanning, carried out with the aim of demonstrating an abcess. Two hundred and thirty five examinations were performed. During the postoperative period, an abcess was correctly localised in 83 cases out of 89. For the 188 patients undergoing the examination, the reliability was 92%. In cases of suspicion of a subphrenic abcess, precise diagnosis was obtained in 19 cases out of 21. In 35 patients with an infectious syndrome in the absence of surgery, scanning gave an accurate diagnosis in 33. In 12 patients who had recently had a renal transplant, scanning revealed a purulent collection in 5 cases. By virtue of the affinity of Gallium for any inflammatory process, echotomography must always be performed after the isotope scan in order to confirm the presence or absence of a fluid collection in the region of the zone of increased uptake. These atraumatic techniques, easy to carry out, should provide clinicians with precious information when an infectious process within the abdomen is being sought.