Cholecystokinin Cholescintigraphy: Methodology and Normal Values Using a Lactose-Free Fatty-Meal Food Supplement Harvey A. Ziessman, MD; Douglas A. Jones, MD; Larry R. Muenz, PhD; and Anup K. Agarval, MS Department of Radiology, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC Fatty meals have been used by investigators and clini- The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the use of a cians over the years to evaluate gallbladder contraction in commercially available lactose-free fatty-meal food supple- conjunction with oral cholecystography, ultrasonography, ment, as an alternative to sincalide cholescintigraphy, to de- and cholescintigraphy. Proponents assert that fatty meals velop a standard methodology, and to determine normal gall- are physiologic and low in cost. Numerous different fatty bladder ejection fractions (GBEFs) for this supplement. meals have been used. Many are institution specific. Meth- Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers all had negative medical histories for hepatobiliary and gallbladder disease, had no per- odologies have differed, and few investigations have stud- sonal or family history of hepatobiliary disease, and were not ied a sufficient number of subjects to establish valid normal taking any medication known to affect gallbladder emptying. All GBEFs for the specific meal. Whole milk and half-and-half were prescreened with a complete blood cell count, compre- have the advantage of being simple to prepare and admin- hensive metabolic profile, gallbladder and liver ultrasonography, ister (4–7). Milk has been particularly well investigated. and conventional cholescintigraphy. Three of the 20 subjects Large numbers of healthy subjects have been studied, a were eliminated from the final analysis because of an abnormal- clear methodology described, and normal values determined ity in one of the above studies.
