Caffee H H, Watts G, Mena I
Am J Surg. 1977 Jun;133(6):665-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(77)90149-0.
Fifty-one consecutive gallium scans in fifty patients with suspected intraabdominal abscess are reviewed. There were twelve true-positive, seven false-positive, twenty-nine true-negative, and two false-negative scans. Accumulation of gallium in the colon and in areas of healing and repair caused soem interpretive difficulty. Despite a significant number of false-positive results, we believe that gallium scanning is a valuable diagnostic tool. Careful attention to technic and cautious interpretation should significantly reduce false-positive and false-negative scans.
