1. Utility of Quantitative Assessment of Tc-99m-diethylenetriamine-penta-acetic acid-galactosyl Human Serum Albumin SPECT/CT in the Identification of Severe Liver Fibrosis: Its Complementary Diagnostic Value with Other Liver Function Indices.
- Author
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Kozaki Y, Ichikawa Y, Nakamura S, Kobayashi T, Tomita Y, Nagata M, Kuriyama N, Mizuno S, and Sakuma H
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Aged, ROC Curve, Adult, Liver diagnostic imaging, Liver pathology, Liver Cirrhosis diagnostic imaging, Liver Cirrhosis pathology, Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin, Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed Tomography, Liver Function Tests
- Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the value of Tc-99m-diethylenetriamine-penta-acetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin (
99m Tc-GSA) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for assessing liver fibrosis, and to assess its complementary value to other liver function indices such as fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index and indocyanine green (ICG) clearance test parameters (ICG-R15 and ICG-K)., Procedures: Seventy-eight patients with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent99m Tc-GSA scintigraphy and other liver function tests including ICG test and FIB-4 index prior to hepatectomy were studied.99m Tc-GSA imaging was performed with SPECT/CT scanner (Discovery NM/CT 670). Immediately after injection of99m Tc-GSA, dynamic imaging was performed for 20 min, followed by SPECT data acquisition for 6 min. LHL15 which is a conventional index by99m Tc-GSA planar images, and liver uptake ration (LUR) was measured from99m Tc-GSA SPECT images. From the liver resection specimens, the degree of liver fibrosis was graded according to the Ludwig scale (F0-4)., Results: Significant differences in LUR, LHL15, ICG-R15, ICG-K, platelet count and FIB-4 index were found between the F0-3 and F4 liver fibrosis patient groups (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that LUR and ICG-K were independent factors for identifying severe liver fibrosis (F4). Area under the curve of receiver operating curve analysis for the logistic regression model using LUR and ICG-K was 0.83. In the patient group with higher FIB-4 (≥ 3.16), the diagnostic performance of LUR for detecting severe liver fibrosis was significantly better than LHL15 (AUC: 0.83 vs. 0.75, P = 0.048). In the high FIB-4 index group, the sensitivity and specificity for identifying F4 was 88% and 85%, respectively, with LUR cutoff value of 41.2%., Conclusions: LUR, measured by99m Tc-GSA SPECT, is a useful indicator for identifying sever liver fibrosis. Particularly in patients with high FIB-4 index (≥ 3.16), LUR can be a valuable indicator to identify severe liver fibrosis with high diagnostic accuracy., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical Approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to World Molecular Imaging Society.)- Published
- 2024
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