Adjunctive pharmacological agents are utilized to enhance the diagnostic sensitivity of 99m Tc-labeled iminodiacetic acid (IDA) derivatives used in hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Sincalide and morphine are often helpful in the assessment of acute cholecystitis while phenobarbital is used in pediatric patients to aid in differentiating neonatal hepatitis from biliary atresia. This article discusses the application of Sincalide in hepatobiliary scintigraphy as an adjunct to 99m Tc-IDA.
Mechanism of Action Cholecystokinin, whether produced endogenously or synthetically, causes contraction of the gallbladder, relaxation of the sphincter of Oddi, augmentation of pyloric sphincter tone, and enhancement of the motility of the small and large bowel. The physiologic action of cholecystokinin is confined to the C-terminal portion, and sincalide is a synthetically prepared C-terminal octapeptide of…
