PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kenji Miki
AU  - Keiichi Kubota
AU  - Yusuke Inoue
AU  - David R. Vera
AU  - Masatoshi Makuuchi
TI  - Receptor Measurements via Tc-GSA Kinetic Modeling Are Proportional to Functional Hepatocellular Mass
DP  - 2001 May 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 733--737
VI  - 42
IP  - 5
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/42/5/733.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/42/5/733.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2001 May 01; 42
AB  - Kinetic modeling of 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid galactosyl human serum albumin (Tc-GSA) measures the total amount of asialoglycoprotein receptor within a subject’s liver. This study tested the hypothesis that the amount of asialoglycoprotein receptor measured by Tc-GSA modeling provides a valid index of functional liver mass. Methods: Twenty-two patients with cirrhosis, 18 patients with chronic hepatitis, and 9 patients with normal liver parenchyma were studied with Tc-GSA using a 30-min dynamic imaging protocol. The total amount of hepatic receptor was measured by kinetic modeling of the Tc-GSA time–activity data. The total number of viable hepatocytes was calculated using standard morphometric measurements of liver biopsy samples and liver volume measurements through CT. Results: The total receptor amount strongly correlated with the total hepatocyte number (r = 0.803; P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Tc-GSA measurement of the total receptor amount is proportional to the number of viable hepatocytes and therefore provides a valid assessment of functional liver mass.