Pattern Analysis of67Gallium Scintigraphy in Sarcoidosis

Abstract

67 Ga scintigraphy has been used for years in sarcoidosis for diagnosis and to determine the extent of the disease. The present report is a study of various findings of 67 Ga scintigraphy in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Between 1998 and 2007, 16 patients (male：female, 6：10; age, 35.9±15.3 years) with histologically proven sarcoidosis underwent clinical evaluation and 67 Ga scintigraphy. According to the site of involvement, they were divided into subtypes and analyzed. Results: Sixteen patients with sarcoidosis had involvement of various organs, including lymph nodes (13/16, 81.3%), lung (3/16, 18.8%), muscle (1/16, 6.3%), subcutaneous tissue (1/16, 6.3%), glands (1/16, 6.3%), and bone (1/16, 6.3%). Sites of involved lymph nodes were thorax (12/13, 92.3%), supraclavicular area (5/13, 38.5%), inguinal area (2/13, 15.4%), abdomen (2/13, 15.4%), and pelvis (1/13, 7.7%). Conclusion: Because sarcoidosis frequently involves multiple organs, 67 Ga scintigraphy is a useful method in for evaluating the whole body. Nuclear medicine physicians should be familiar with the various findings of gallium uptake in sarcoidosis.