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Objective To assess whether cigarette smoking interferes with dopaminergic transmission in current- and never-smoking patients with Parkinson's disease. Materials and methods Striatal [123I] FP- CIT single photon emission computed tomography was performed in 67 patients with Parkinson's disease (35 women and 32 men aging 60.8 ± 10.1 years and staging 1.76 ± 0.5 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale). At study time, there were 13 current-smokers and 54 never-smokers. Results Current-smokers showed a significantly lower putamen/occipital [123I] FP- CIT ratio and a non-significant trend to a lower caudate/occipital [123I] FP- CIT ratio uptake. Current-smokers were also characterized by a lower off UPDRS- III motor score. A logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr staging, and medication indicated a significant lower [123I] FP- CIT uptake not only in the putamen (odds ratio, 0.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.65; P = 0.02) but also in the caudate (odds ratio, 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.71; P = 0.015) as well as a lower UPDRS- III motor score (odds ratio, 0.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 0.99; P = 0.04) in current-smokers. Conclusions The lower [123I] FP- CIT uptake together with the lower UPDRS- III motor score observed in our current-smokers patients with Parkinson's disease (even taking into account variables that are probably expression of dopaminergic neuron decline and treatment) would support an effect of smoking on dopaminergic synaptic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To develop a method to fuse lymphoscintigraphic images with an adaptable anatomical vector profile and to evaluate its role in the clinical practice. Methods: We used Adobe Illustrator CS6 to create different vector profiles, we fused those profiles, using Adobe Photoshop CS6, with lymphoscintigraphic images of the patient. We processed 197 lymphoscintigraphies performed in patients with cutaneous melanomas, breast cancer or delayed lymph drainage. Results: Our models can be adapted to every patient attitude or position and contain different levels of anatomical details ranging from external body profiles to the internal anatomical structures like bones, muscles, vessels, and lymph nodes. If needed, more new anatomical details can be added and embedded in the profile without redrawing them, saving a lot of time. Details can also be easily hidden, allowing the physician to view only relevant information and structures. Fusion times are about 85 s. The diagnostic confidence of the observers increased significantly. The validation process showed a slight shift (mean 4.9 mm). Conclusions: We have created a new, practical, inexpensive digital technique based on commercial software for fusing lymphoscintigraphic images with built-in anatomical reference profiles. It is easily reproducible and does not alter the original scintigraphic image. Our method allows a more meaningful interpretation of lymphoscintigraphies, an easier recognition of the anatomical site and better lymph node dissection planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequent in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with (123)I-labeled ligand N-delta-(fluoropropyl)-2 beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropene ((123)I-FP-CIT), which reliably measures midbrain dopaminergic dysfunction, has provided important evidence on the neurobiological substrate of some of these symptoms including apathy and depression. However, little is known on DAT levels and other distressing symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. Therefore, (123)I-FP-CIT imaging was performed in 18 well-characterized patients with DLB, and striatal DAT levels were correlated with the frequency/severity ratings of several neuropsychiatric symptoms. A wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms could be observed in the sample. Significant correlations were observed between decreased striatal DAT levels and visual hallucinations. Although there were no correlations between striatal DAT levels and other neuropsychiatric symptoms, when considering the putamen and the caudate nucleus separately, delusions, depression, and apathy were inversely correlated to decreased caudate DAT levels. The seresults provide intriguing evidence on the involvement of the mesocortical dopaminergic pathways in neuropsychiatric symptoms in DLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared and integrated the data from perfusion lung scintigraphy and multislice computed tomography (CT) for the emergency diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism in nuclear medicine and radiology departments operating around the clock. One hundred and seven patients with a clinical and laboratory suspicion of acute pulmonary embolism who had already undergone chest radiography were divided into four groups according to the time interval between onset of clinical suspicion and performance of the two diagnostic examinations (0–24 h, 24–48 h, 0–48 h, 2–7 days). Cohen's test for the analysis of statistical concordance was used. Perfusion lung scintigraphy and multislice CT were positive in 29/107 (27.1%) and negative in 78/107 (72.89%). Positive concordance (PC) was found in 22 cases and negative concordance (NC) in 71 cases: 0–24 h: PC in 12, NC in 32 cases; 24–48 h: PC in 3, NC in 15 cases; 0–48 h: PC in 15, NC in 47 cases; 2–7 days: PC in 7, NC in 24 cases. Perfusion lung scintigraphy and multislice CT demonstrated elevated concordance if performed within 7 days of the onset of suspicion of acute pulmonary embolism. Concordance was higher if the examinations were completed within 24–48 h. In suspected acute pulmonary embolism, it is mandatory to reach a correct diagnosis within few hours – 48 at the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to compare the results of rest-redistribution thallium-201 imaging with those of rest technetium 99m furifosmin single photon emission computed tomography in the same patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.Methods: Twenty-one patients (mean age 62 +/- 9 years) with chronic myocardial infarction and LV dysfunction (mean LV ejection fraction 34% +/- 8%) underwent rest-redistribution thallium imaging and resting furifosmin single photon emission computed tomography on the same day. In each patient, regional thallium and furifosmin activity was quantitatively measured in 13 myocardial segments. Regional LV function was assessed in corresponding segments by echocardiography.Results: At thallium imaging, 91 (33%) segments had normal uptake, 16 (6%) showed reversible defects, and the remaining 166 (61%) irreversible defects. Of these 166 irreversible defects, 74 (45%) had moderate (> or =58% of peak activity) and 92 (55%) severe (<58% of peak activity) reduction of thallium uptake. Regional furifosmin uptake was significantly related to both rest (r = 0.87, P < .0001) and redistribution (r = 0.90, P < .0001) thallium activity. Agreement in the evaluation of regional perfusion status between thallium and furifosmin imaging was observed in 70% of the 84 hypokinetic segments (kappa = 0.54) and in 76% of the 78 akinetic or dyskinetic segments (kappa = 0.60). Concordance in the detection of myocardial viability between thallium and furifosmin imaging was observed in 69 (82%) of hypokinetic regions (kappa = 0.60) and in 65 (83%) of akinetic or dyskinetic regions (kappa = 0.67).Conclusions: These results suggest that in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and LV dysfunction, quantitative rest-redistribution thallium scintigraphy and furifosmin tomography at rest provide similar results in the evaluation of perfusion status and in the detection of myocardial viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inversion of gated myocardial perfusion imaging has been proposed for the evaluation of left ventricular function. This study compared the results of inversion technique of gated left anterior oblique 45 degrees images (G-LAO 45 degrees) with those provided by equilibrium radionuclide angiography in the assessment of global left ventricular function in the same patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease.Methods and Results: A total of 107 patients (85 men and 22 women, mean age 59 +/- 9 years) with suspected or documented coronary artery disease were studied. Eighty-seven underwent a 2-day stress/rest technetium-99m sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography with acquisition of G-LAO 45 degrees images on the day of rest, and 20 underwent thallium-201 stress/redistribution single photon emission computed tomography with G-LAO 45 degrees image acquisition immediately after redistribution imaging. An excellent correlation (P < .001) with no significant differences was found between left ventricular ejection fraction values provided by inversion G-LAO 45 degree and radionuclide angiography in 87 patients studied with Tc-99m sestamibi and 20 patients studied with TI-201. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated the difference in absolute ejection fraction values obtained by inversion G-LAO 45 degree images and radionuclide angiography as <8%. The inversion G-LAO 45 degrees left ventricular ejection fraction distinguishes the patients with myocardial infarction (ejection fraction = 43% +/- 13%) and without myocardial infarction (ejection fraction = 60% +/- 5%) (P < .001). In patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, inversion G-LAO 45 degree images provide evaluation of left ventricular function comparable with that obtained by RNA.Conclusions: Semiautomated myocardial perfusion gated inversion technique analyzed with a count-based method is useful in the evaluation of left ventricular function and provides similar results to those of radionuclide angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Molecular Imaging & Radionuclide Therapy is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An abstract of the article "Transesophageal echocardiography to evaluate the anatomic course of anomalous coronary arteries and the ischemia at stress-rest scintigraphy in adults" by F. Bovenzi, L. De Luca, P. Colonna, N. Signore, and colleagues is presented.