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Technetium-99m Sulfur Colloid Spleen Imaging Following Partial Pancreatectomy and Splenic Artery and Vein Resection

Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Department of Radiology, Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio

Correspondence: For reprints contact: Christopher C. Kuni, MD, Dept. of Radiology, Harvard Street at East River Rd., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

ABSTRACT

We retrospectively studied the records and [^99mTc]sulfur colloid (TSC) spleen studies of 38 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenic artery and vein resection for donation to HLA-compatible relatives. The spleens in immediate postoperative TSC studies were normal in 11% of cases, showed no uptake in 16%, showed diffusely decreased uptake in 50%, and showed focal defects in 26%. Twenty of the patients, all with abnormal initial TSC studies, had repeat studies 2 wk to 3 yr later; 15% showed no change, 35% showed some improvement, and 45% became normal. One of six patients with no TSC uptake required splenectomy 2 days after pancreatectomy for splenic infarction. These data suggest that the spleen usually survives splenic artery and vein resection. Absent splenic TSC uptake raises the possibility of splenic infarction.