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Detection of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis with Gallium-67 Scan and Computed Tomography

Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dong-A University Hospital, and Departments of Nuclear Medicine, and Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Korea

Correspondence: For reprints contact: Seoung-Oh Yang, MD, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dong-A University Hospital, 1, 3-Ka, Dongdaesin-Dong, Seo-Ku, Pusan 602-103, Korea.

ABSTRACT

We evaluated 23 patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) with ⁶⁷Ga imaging to assess its usefulness in the diagnosis of this condition. We performed computed tomography (CT) in 17 patients to assess CT features of extrapulmonary TB in comparison with findings from ⁶⁷Ga scans. Nineteen of 23 patients (83%) had positive findings on ⁶⁷Ga scans. One of five patients with tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenopathy, two patients with cervical lymphadenitis and a patient with renal TB had negative ⁶⁷Ga scans. It was observed that the detection of previously unrecognized primary foci of TB, without concomitant pulmonary TB, was possible using ⁶⁷Ga imaging in five patients (22%). The ⁶⁷Ga scan was relatively sensitive for the localization of extrapulmonary TB. It is suggested that the ⁶⁷Ga scan could serve as a screening method, when followed by CT and ultrasonography, for the initial detection of occult tuberculous lesions, especially in patients with prolonged fever.