Usefulness of gallium-67-citrate scans in patients with acute disseminated tuberculosis and comparison with chest x-rays.

Sixteen patients (4 females, 12 males; ages: 15-80 yr) were admitted to our hospital and diagnosed as having acute disseminated tuberculosis (TB). Gallium-67-citrate scans and chest x-rays were used to localize the TB. The results revealed that: (1) most patients had an underlying disease (malignancy or immunocompromise); (2) gallium lung scans demonstrated multiple patterns from a negative picture to greater than liver uptake (localized or diffuse); (3) the extrapulmonary TB focus could be clearly visualized by whole-body gallium scans; (4) most chest x-rays had a miliary pattern and few cases were negative or localized. A combination examination, including gallium scans and chest x-rays, is needed to avoid missing early diagnosis of acute disseminated tuberculosis, especially in high risk group patients.