Technetium-99m pertechnetate as an indicator of gastric mucosal proliferation.

Gastric mucosa was removed from five dogs and allowed to regenerate. Serial scintiscans after administration of 99mTc pertechnetate revealed gradual increase in gastric radioactivity, so that by 4 weeks it appeared as intense as preoperatively. By this means it was possible to follow the progress of gastric mucosal regeneration. The authors suggest that serial 99mTc scintiscanning might prove useful in evaluating the hypothesis that Barrett esophagus is due to replacement of esophageal squamous epithelium by gastric columnar epithelium.