Tc-99m MAA Liver Perfusion Scan
What is Tc-99m MMA Liver Perfusion Scan? How Does It Show Tumor Focus?
Theranostics is a recently developing field of the medicine. This approach takes body images using a tumor-specific agent to locate the tumor and its metastasis and their potential future locations and it also uses a specific agent with pre-determined therapeutic efficiency for the diseased tissue. This approach enables switching from traditional medicine to contemporary personalized medical procedures.
Regarding liver cancers, Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan allows for pre-treatment trial, helps us plan the optimal dose of treatment and detects leakages into lungs and gastrointestinal system with high sensitivity. On the other hand, tumor tissues can be treated with a targeted therapy approach with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microsphere. This is a rather new and successful method of theranostic procedures.
If treatment uses the hepatic artery, we are advantageous, as the liver is supplied with blood by two blood vessels. This anatomic advantage has enabled administering anti-cancer medications through the hepatic artery for over 30 years. Y-90 microsphere therapy, also called Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE), is an effective treatment for both primary and metastatic cancers of the liver and it may be used for better survival and for decreasing the tumor burden upon suggestion of a primary physician in patients for whom surgery or regional therapies are not suitable.
Once a patient is considered a candidate for Y-90 microsphere therapy, the initial test is angiography. The procedure identifies anatomy and anatomical variations of organs; circulation of liver is assessed, occlusion/embolisation of non-hepatic vessels is carried out. Once blood vessels are mapped through angiography; Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan is performed as a trial of Y-90 microsphere therapy, through which liver/gastrointestinal system leakages are investigated and the optimal treatment dose is determined.
Who are the Candidates for Tc-99m MAA Liver Perfusion Scan?
Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan is employed for candidates of Y-90 microsphere therapy. This is an imaging technology that enables a patient-specific plan before the treatment and is performed during diagnostic angiography.
Is Tc-99m MAA Liver Perfusion Scan Safe?
Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan is a safe imaging technique, which uses low doses of radiation. You will be informed by our interventional radiologist about recommendations for a simultaneous angiography procedure. Both procedures are contraindicated for pregnant women due to radiation exposure.
Preparation for Tc-99m MAA Liver Perfusion Scan
A special preparation is not required for Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan. However, you will be informed by interventional radiology unit personnel regarding recommendations on simultaneous angiography.
How is Tc-99m MAA Liver Perfusion Scan is Performed?
Tc-99m MAA liver perfusion scan is a multidisciplinary procedure carried out by Nuclear Medicine and Interventional Radiology Physicians.
One of the basic phases prior to Y-90 microsphere therapy is the angiography, which is performed at the interventional radiology unit in order to assess feeders of the tumor. After the procedure is completed, Tc-99m MAA is infused at a low dose through an angiography catheter. You feel nothing during this procedure. Later, you will be transferred to the Nuclear Medicine Department to acquire your lungs and liver images. You will be asked to lie in supine position (on your back) on a special bed integrated to a gamma camera. After the scintigraphy procedure is completed, you will be followed up with regard to your angiography and you may safely leave the hospital once informed by radiology staff.
Please remember that you should avoid physical contacts with children and pregnant women for 12 hours after the agent is administered.
Images will be assessed by our Nuclear Medicine Physicians and will be referenced while your treatment is planned.