|
|
|
A liver biopsy and CT scan of the abdomen were done at the insistence of the FPP because alkaline phosphatase had been found elevated in a blood test one month before diagnosis of GCA. This was unnecessary because once GCA was identified and alk phos returned to normal after start of treatment it was known to other doctors that GCA was the cause of the elevated alk phos. The tracer used in CT scans is iodine based, which is an allergen for Pearl. This required administration of a high dose of prednisone prior to the scan. Another undesirable aspect of an unnecessary CT scan is the high amount of radiation given off in the process – about 200 times that of a typical chest xray. Pearl had several more CT scans for various reasons during her illness.