FUNCTIONAL LIVER IMAGING WITH ASIALOGLYCOPROTEIN RECEPTORS AND SERUM HYALURONATE IN A PATIENT WITH AMYLOIDOSIS

A 47-year-old man with primary amyloidosis was admitted with abdominal pain. A new radionuclide liver imaging technique using Technetium-99m diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin, w as performed and the serum hyaluronate concentration was measured. Alt hough ordinary laboratory tests revealed only slight abnormalities, th e uptake of the radiolabelled ligand for hepatocyte asialo-glycoprotei n receptors was dereased, and marked hepatomegaly was revealed. Furthe rmore, the serum hyaluronate level was elevated. Histological examinat ion of a hepatic needle biopsy specimen revealed a marked deposition o f amyloid in the hepatic perisinusoidal spaces. These results indicate that this new radionuclide liver imaging technique (using Technetium- 99m diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin ) and the measurement of serum hyaluronate may be useful supplementary tools for identifying amyloid deposition in the hepatic perisinusoida l spaces in patients with amyloidosis.