Ga-citrate positron emission tomography/computed tomography findings in an experimental model of acute appendicitis in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE

Acute appendicitis (AA) is a common urgent surgical situation of the gastrointestinal tract. Gallium-68 (Ga)-citrate has been recently investigated as a radiopharmaceutical for infection and inflammation imaging. Aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of Ga-citrate positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging in rabbits with experimentally induced AA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the AA group (n=6), the appendices of the rabbits were surgically ligated. The sham group (n=6) was used as control. Gallium-68-citrate was synthesized. All rabbits were imaged using Ga-citrate PET/CT at 36 following the establishment of experimental models, and at 36 h, all rabbits were appendectomised. Appendices were examined histopathologically. Blood samples were drawn from all rabbits at the beginning and end of the experimental process. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (Pct) levels were measured. Acute appendicitis was confirmed histopathologically and biochemically.

RESULTS

Gallium-68-citrate PET/CT showed acute appendicitis in all rabbits. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of Ga-citrate PET/CT in AA were 100%, 83.3% and 91.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Acute appendicitis is accurately imaged in an experimental rabbit model by using Ga-citrate with PET/CT.