INTENSE GALLBLADDER UPTAKE ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY - AN UNUSUAL FINDING IN PEDIATRIC SKELETAL SCINTIGRAPHY

Focal and diffuse hepatic uptake of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals may be due to a variety of conditions including tumors and radiopharma ceutical impurity, However, uptake in the gallbladder is unusual with currently used skeletal agents, Three patients (aged 10, 15, and 16 ye ars) underwent routine whole-body bone scans during a course of intens ive chemotherapy with VP-16 and ifosphamide. Images showed intense gal lbladder and faint liver uptake. No patient had symptoms of cholecysti tis. Radiopharmaceutical quality control revealed no impurities. Repea t bone scans after completion of chemotherapy showed no liver or gallb ladder uptake. The authors conclude that this finding represents alter ed distribution induced by the chemotherapy regimen, and should not be misinterpreted as intrinsic liver or gallbladder disease.