A high-fibre diet in combination with bisacodyl for bowel preparation in gallium renal scintigraphy

Abstract

Bowel accumulation of gallium-67 frequently complicates the interpretation of gallium-67 scintigrams. This is a drawback, especially when reading gallium renal images. In this study, we evaluated the value of a high-fibre diet in bowel preparation for improving the quality of gallium renal imaging in lupus nephritis. Group A, consisting of 86 patients, was on a regular diet and received bisacodyl the night before imaging. Group B, consisting of 77 patients, was on a high-fibre diet for three consecutive days before imaging and received bisacodyl the night before imaging. Gallium bowel activity was rated on a scale of 0 to III on the basis of anterior and posterior views of delayed 48 h images. Our data revealed that there was a significant difference in image quality between groups A and B. Fifty per cent of group A patients had obvious bowel activity. The percentage decreased significantly to 25% in group B. In conclusion, the application of a high-fibre diet significantly improves the efficacy of bowel preparation for gallium renal scintigraphy in the evaluation of lupus nephritis.