Asialoglycoprotein Receptor Scintigraphy with 99m Tc-Galactosyl Human Serum Albumin ( 99m Tc-GSA) as an Early Predictor of Survival in Acute Liver Failure

Abstract

This study evaluated the usefulness of asialoglycoprotein receptor scintigraphy with ^99mTc-galactosyl human serum albumin (^99mTc-GSA scintigraphy) as an early predictor for prognosis of acute liver failure. Forty-eight patients with acute liver failure and without a past history of chronic liver disease were enrolled. Patients were divided into survival and non-survival groups by 28-day mortality. ^99mTc-GSA scintigraphy to detect uptake ratio of the heart at 15 minutes to that at three minutes (HH₁₅) and uptake ratio of the liver at 15 minutes to the liver plus the heart at 15 minutes (LHL₁₅), and measurements of serum total bilirubin, hepatocyte growth factor and prothrombin time were performed immediately after the diagnosis of acute liver failure. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare the prognostic ability of total bilirubin, hepatocyte growth factor, prothrombin time, HH₁₅ ratio, LHL₁₅ ratio and the model for end-stage liver disease score. Clinical characteristics of patients in the survival group (n=20) and in the non-survival group (n=28) were not significantly different. HH₁₅ and LHL₁₅ uptake ratios in the survival group were 0.670 and 0.875, and they were significantly lower and higher than those in the non-survival group, respectively. All patients with LHL₁₅ <0.760 died, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for LHL₁₅ were significantly larger than the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of serum variables and model for end-stage liver disease score. In summary, in patients with acute liver failure without chronic liver disease, HH₁₅ and LHL₁₅ of ^99mTc-GSA scintigraphy are more useful variables in predicting prognosis than serum variables and model for end-stage liver disease score.