Efficacy of hepatobiliary scintigraphy in the differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis and postoperative follow-up after hepatoporto-digestive anastomosis.

In the differential diagnosis of unclear neonatal and infant cholestasis the formerly applied 131-I-Rose Bengal scintigraphy has been widely abandoned in favour of hepatobiliary scintigraphy with 99mTc-labelled IDA derivatives excreted with the bile. Our results in 32 jaundiced children ranging from ages 2 weeks to 32 weeks show a high sensitivity of scintigraphy in proving an occlusion in 92% with a clearly lower specificity of 79%, if based on the demonstration of marked bile in the intestine as the only criterion. Diagnostic accuracy, however, can be further increased in additional criteria such as hepatocellular clearance and patient age are considered. The examination is of equally high importance for post-operative follow-up. Here, scintigraphy is superior to all other imaging procedures in the evaluation of bile flow situations. In 52 examinations of portoenterostomies, the prognostic value can be demonstrated not only with a good coincidence of the scintigraphic data with the bilirubin level, but also with the histological degree of liver fibrosis at the time of operation. Early and late complications of hepatoportojejunostomy can usually be recognised and localised. Since the prognosis of extrahepatic biliary atresia depends on an early operation-presently by means of reconstruction of biliary flow-indications for hepatobiliary scintigraphy must be given more widely and earlier (at the latest in the fourth week of life) in all unclear cases of cholestatic syndrome.