Hepatic photopenia in gallium imaging

Although Ga-67 has been used extensively in imaging many different conditions, much is yet unknown about the mechanisms by which gallium concentrates preferentially in tissues such as the liver. This paper reports three patients with markedly diminished hepatic uptake of gallium. The cases are examined in light of published data demonstrating such factors as transferrin levels, radiation, and chemotherapeutic agents as altering the hepatic uptake of gallium. Of the many factors believed to influence the biodistribution of gallium, none can definitively account for the lack of hepatic uptake in these patients.