The respective roles of gallium 67 citrate scanning and diagnostic ultrasound in detecting suppurations in renal allograft recipients.

The authors report their experiments relative to the advantage of using gallium 67 scanning in the diagnosis of suppurative lesions in renal allograft recipients. Nineteen cases suggesting abscess were analyzed. In 7 cases in which abnormal isotope uptake was noted, a suppuration was detected in the area where the gallium 67 had accumulated. In 2 cases, the abnormal image corresponded to the location of a healing drained abscess, and, in 1 case of pathological uptake at the level of the graft, it was determined that the cause was chronic rejection without suppurative lesion. In 9 cases in which no abnormal focus of uptake was noted, the symptomatology suggesting abscess was eventually attributed to nonsuppurative causes (rejection, urinary fistula, etc.). It is concluded that gallium 67 scanning is a useful means of detecting suppurations in immunodepressed patients undergoing treatment with steroids which prevent the usual signs of suppuration from appearing. Generally, it can be said that diagnostic ultrasound, performed with respect to the area of abnormal gallium 67 uptake, permits optimum determination of the possibilities of an abscess existing.