Hepatic scintigraphy has had to take a back seat for the past 2 decades because of continuing development of anatomical imaging. Ultrasound, CT, and MRI have more or less replaced Tc-99m colloid liver-spleen scan (SCS). However, the standard SCS survives and has an important role in certain niche areas where it makes a significant clinical contribution. The standard SCS gave relatively non-specific results. Now, we are moving to more tissue-specific scintigraphic scanning e.g., somatostatin imaging. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) continues to evolve as in other areas of Nuclear Imaging. Hepatobiliary scanning with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) compounds continue to play a prominent role in certain areas. Recent developments have concentrated on new equipment and increased availability of new radionuclides. These are the subject of this review. This review also describes the value of physiological liver scintigraphy, including gallium scanning as well as dynamic flow imaging of the liver such as hepatic artery perfusion scintigraphy and tagged red cell scintigraphy.
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