Intravenous blood pool activity masquerading as gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Scott A Fleming; Andrew M Keenan

doi:10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_28_19

Intravenous blood pool activity masquerading as gastrointestinal hemorrhage

World J Nucl Med. 2019 Nov 7;19(1):59-60. doi: 10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_28_19. eCollection 2020 Jan-Mar.

Authors

Scott A Fleming¹, Andrew M Keenan¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine Service, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Abstract

Radiolabeled red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy is a common study to detect and localize gastrointestinal hemorrhage. There are many potential entities that may result in false-positive RBC scintigraphy. Here, we present a case of enlarged feeding vessels of omental carcinomatosis which scintigraphically might be mistaken as intraluminal bowel activity and thus active hemorrhage. This case highlights the importance of reviewing correlative imaging in patients with a large neoplastic burden.

Keywords: Altered blood pool anatomy; false-positive bleed; omental carcinomatosis; red blood cell scintigraphy.

Publication types

Case Reports