Body disappearance and liver mean transit time of 99m-Tc-diethyl-IDA

The body disappearances and the liver mean transit times of a hepatobiliary tracer, 99mTc-diethyl IDA, were measured from 100 cholescintigraphies of 98 patients. Fifteen patients had no hepatobiliary disease; their mean body disappearance was 6.6, SD 1.1%/min, and mean liver mean transit time 32, SD 19 min. The values within 2 SDs, disappearance ≧4.4%/min and mean transit time ≦70 min, were used as reference values. Disappearance constants below 4.4%/min were observed in 29% and mean transit times exceeding 70 min in 49% of the examinations performed on patients with some hepatobiliary abnormality. The calculated parameters were compared with the levels of serum biliriubin and ASAT. Disappearance constants below 4.4%/min were seen in 33% and mean transit times exceeding 70 min in 55% of the patients who had either abnormal serum bilirubin or ASAT due to a hepatobiliary disease. The correlation between the serum bilirubin and the disappearance was -0.13, and between ASAT and body disappearance it was -0.28.