Deranged liver blood flow patterns in the detection of liver metastases

Hepatic flow scintigraphy has been used to evaluate 150 patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma. A normal range has been obtained on a group of 23 healthy volunteers. The flow scintigraphic findings have been correlated with the presence of metastases at the time of primary surgical therapy. The group of patients with livers ostensibly clear of metastases have been followed up over a one-year period. At one year the specificity of the investigation is 72 per cent with a sensitivity of 96 per cent. We conclude that flow scintigraphy is capable of not only detecting established hepatic metastases, but will also identify patients harbouring occult metastatic disease.