A comparison of ultrasonic and isotope scanning in the diagnosis of liver disease

Scintiscans using technetium 99m sulphur colloid, and ultrasonic scans were carried out on 99 patients. Twentythree had normal livers, 21 had cirrhosis, 15 had tumour in the liver, six had obstructive jaundice, seven had fatty livers, five had abnormal livers without histological confirmation, six had cysts or abscesses of the liver, ten had miscellaneous conditions and in six one or other scan was unsatisfactory. In the normal group only two patients had abnormal scans by both methods, although ten had an abnormal isotope scan. In patients with cirrhosis both scans were usually abnormal. When tumour was present in the liver it was usually detected by the scintiscan, but in only half the ultrasonic scans could this abnormality be distinguished from that produced by obstructive jaundice or cirrhosis of the liver. The ultrasonic scan could distinguish cystic from solid lesions in the liver whereas the scintiscan could not.