Indium-111 leukocyte accumulation in submandibular gland saliva as a cause for false-positive gut uptake in children.

Unexplained false-positive accumulation of In-111 leukocyte in the gastrointestinal tract has been reported previously. In a pediatric population, uptake in the submandibular gland was noted in 19 of 42 children. This is believed to be a normal finding in children that is not seen in adults. In some of these 19 children, unexplained gastrointestinal activity was also noted. Saliva from a patient with false-positive gastrointestinal uptake and positive submandibular activity was positive for In-111. One suggested cause of unexplained gut activity may be secondary to swallowed activity in the saliva from the normal submandibular activity in children.