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Background: A series of pneumonia cases with clinical presentations of viral pneumonia secondary to new coronavirus and subsequent global transmission arose in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. Several cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been described incidentally in positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18Ffluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a result of the pandemic. Herein, we describe the findings of a patient with unknown COVID-19 in PET/CT with the other radiopharmaceutical, 68Ga-labeled prostatespecific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA). Case Report: A 69-year-old man had previously undergone radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging was performed due to biochemical recurrence. 68Ga-PSMA uptake in the prostate bed suggestive of local recurrence was detected in PET/CT images. Also, bilateral groundglass opacities with slightly increased 68Ga-PSMA uptake were seen in the lungs, suspected of COVID-19. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test has confirmed the infection. Conclusion: Even in asymptomatic patients, nuclear medicine departments must be aware of the possibility of COVID-19, take appropriate post-exposure procedures, and protect employees and other patients.

Background: The therapeutic approaches of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) are surgery, ablation therapy with the postoperative use of radioiodine-131 (131I), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy. After the surgical therapy, the patient should be assessed for remnants/metastases. Objective: The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of technetium-99m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in the postoperative management of patients with DTC. Methods: The study comprised 22 DTC patients (13 women, 9 men; mean age 46.55 ± 13.27 y) who underwent a total thyroidectomy previously. All patients were investigated for thyroid remnants/ metastases by 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT, posttherapy 131I whole-body scan (WBS) and ultrasound (US). Serum TSH, thyroglobulin and anti-Tg antibody levels were measured. Results of imaging modalities and laboratory measurements were compared with each other. Results: 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT, 131I WBS and US respectively demonstrated thyroid remnants in 15 (68.18%), 22 (100%) and 14 (63.63%) of all patients and metastatic lymph nodes in 8 (100%), 6 (75%) and 6 (75%) of the 8 patients with lymph node metastases. 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT also demonstrated lung metastases in 2 patients (9.09% of all patients). The same result was obtained with 131I WBS. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT can be effective for detecting metastases in patients with DTC who underwent surgery prior to 131I therapy.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between volumetric parameters calculated using semiautomatic quantification of lesions detected in 68Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen PET-computed tomography (68Ga-PSMA PET/CT) and clinical characteristics in prostate cancer (PCa) patients with biochemical recurrence. METHODS A total of 85 consecutive PCa patients with biochemical recurrence who underwent 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT at our institution from January 2019 to March 2020 were retrospectively assessed. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT-derived volumetric parameters, including whole-body PSMA tumor volume (wbPSMA-TV) and whole-body total lesion PSMA (wbTL-PSMA), as well as the established maximum and mean standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean), were calculated for each patient. All PET-derived parameters were analyzed for correlation with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and for association with Gleason scores. RESULTS Eighty-five patients with a mean age of 68.9 ± 7.8 years (range, 47-83 years) and a mean PSA level of 40.9 ± 92.1 ng/ml (range, 0.2-533.2 ng/ml) were analyzed. Volumetric parameters, that is, wbPSMA-TV and wbTL-PSMA, demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with PSA levels (r = 0.403 and r = 0.556, respectively, all at P < 0.001) and only the means of wbTL-PSMA were significantly different between the Gleason score groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results of our study indicate that 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT might be a valuable tool for the detection and follow-up of recurrence in PCa patients. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT-derived quantitative volumetric parameters demonstrated a highly significant correlation with changes in PSA levels. Larger prospective studies are needed to help reveal the full potential of parameters such as PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA derived from PET imaging with 68Ga-PSMA.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of technetium- 99m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (Tc-MIBI) single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and ultrasound in preoperative localization of single parathyroid adenomas (PTAs) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) who would be suitable for minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP). Methods A retrospective study of 143 consecutive patients with biochemical evidence of hyperparathyroidism who underwent preoperative localization of parathyroid lesions using Tc-MIBI SPECT/CT and ultrasound, and proceeded to parathyroid surgery at our institution from January 2013 to January 2018. Of these, 125 had single adenomas and are the subject of this study. The sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and accuracy of the two imaging techniques for the accurately identification and lateralization of PTAs were determined using histopathology as the criterion standard. Results Of 125 PTAs, the correct identification and lateralization were significantly higher by SPECT/CT than ultrasound. SPECT/CT and ultrasound detected lesions with histopathologically proven PTAs in 116 and 95 patients, respectively. The sensitivity, PPV and accuracy were 92.17, 94.64 and 87.60%, respectively, for SPECT/CT and 75.89, 90.43 and 70.25%, respectively, for ultrasound in lateralization analysis. Conclusions The results of our study indicate that Tc-MIBI SPECT/CT is more accurate than ultrasound for the preoperative identification of single PTAs in patients with pHPT who are candidates for MIP.

The aim of our retrospective study was to evaluate the contribution of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) to three phase bone scintigraphy/SPECT for the assessment of osteomyelitis (OM) and patient’s management.Eighty-five patients who were suspected as having OM were included in this study. Tc-99m MDP three phase bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT were performed to the region of suspected OM. SPECT/CT findings were compared with the findings of planar images/SPECT. Both planar bone scan/SPECT and SPECT/CT findings were divided into two groups: With OM and without OM. In all patients, scintigraphic diagnosis was confirmed by clinical follow up, laboratory findings, microscopic-bacteriological examinations, radiological, surgical, and pathological findings.SPECT/CT changed the diagnosis and treatment planning in 14/85 (16.5%) patients. SPECT/CT was significantly superior to planar scan/SPECT imaging for determining OM (kappa value was 0.626 for planar scan/SPECT, 0.929 for SPECT/CT). SPECT/CT was statistically more successful in detection of chronic OM, and useful in differentiating chronic OM from acute OM (kappa value was 0.541 for planar scan/SPECT, 0.944 for SPECT/CT).SPECT/CT increases accuracy of the diagnosis in the evaluation of OM when it is compared to three phase bone scintigraphy/SPECT. SPECT/CT can change the diagnosis and management of the patients.Retrospektif çalışmamızda osteomiyelitin (OM) değerlendirilmesinde ve hasta yönetiminde tek foton emisyon bilgisayarlı tomografi/bilgisayarlı tomografi (SPECT/BT) üç fazlı kemik sintigrafisi/SPECT’ye katkısı araştırıldı.OM’den şüphelenilen 85 hasta çalışmaya dahil edildi. OM şüphesi bulunan bölgeye Tc-99m MDP üç fazlı kemik sintigrafisi ve SPECT/BT yapıldı. SPECT/BT bulguları planar görüntü/SPECT bulguları ile karşılaştırıldı. Planar kemik sintigrafisi/SPECT ve SPECT/BT bulguları iki gruba ayrıldı: OM olmayanlar ve OM olanlar. Tüm hastalarda sintigrafik tanı, klinik takip, laboratuvar, mikroskobik-bakteriyolojik inceleme, radyoloji, cerrahi ve patoloji ile doğrulanmıştır.SPECT/BT, 14/85 (%16,5) hastada tanı ve tedavi planlamasını değiştirdi. SPECT/BT, OM’nin belirlenmesinde planar görüntüler/SPECT görüntülemeye göre anlamlı derecede üstün bulundu (kappa değeri planar tarama/SPECT için 0,626, SPECT/BT için 0,929). SPECT/BT, kronik OM’nin saptanmasında istatistiksel olarak daha başarılıydı ve akut OM’den kronik OM’nin ayırt edilmesinde faydalı idi (kappa değeri planar tarama/SPECT için 0,541, SPECT/BT için 0,944).SPECT/BT, üç fazlı kemik sintigrafisi/SPECT ile karşılaştırıldığında OM değerlendirilmesinde tanı doğruluğunu arttırmaktadır. SPECT/BT hastaların teşhis ve yönetimini değiştirebilir.

Purpose We sought to investigate the performance of radiomics analysis on baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting response to first-line chemotherapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Material and methods Forty-five patients who received first-line rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) chemotherapy for DLBCL were included in the study. Radiomics features and standard uptake value (SUV)-based measurements were extracted from baseline PET images for a total of 147 lesions. The selection of the most relevant features was made using the recursive feature elimination algorithm. A machine-learning model was trained using the logistic regression classifier with cross-validation to predict treatment response. The independent predictors of incomplete response were evaluated with multivariable regression analysis. Results A total of 14 textural features were selected by the recursive elimination algorithm, achieving a feature-to-lesion ratio of 1:10. The accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model for predicting incomplete response were 0.87 and 0.81, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that SUVmax and gray level co-occurrence matrix dissimilarity were independent predictors of lesions with incomplete response to first-line R-CHOP chemotherapy. Conclusion Increased textural heterogeneity in baseline PET images was found to be associated with incomplete response in DLBCL.

The therapeutic approaches of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) are surgery, ablation therapy with the postoperative use of radioiodine-131 (The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of technetium-The study comprised 22 DTC patients (13 women, 9 men; mean age 46.55 ± 13.27 y) who underwent a total thyroidectomy previously. All patients were investigated for thyroid remnants/ metastases byThe findings of this study show that

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of chronic sleep deprivation on mucociliary clearance, which is the primary defence mechanism of the upper airway tract and nasal mucosal histology. Forty-two Wistar Albino rats (250-300 g), 8 or 12 weeks old, were randomly assigned into three groups as follows. The first sleep-deprivation group consisted of 14 rats (A), another 14 of them were assigned to platform group (B), and the remaining 14 were included to the home cage control group (C). For the two deprivation groups (A and B), the modified multiple platform method (MMPM) was used to induce sleep deprivation for 21 days. Tc-99m MAA rhinoscintigraphy was performed to assess mucociliary clearance and the nasal histopathological changes of the sacrificed rats were also examined. Mucociliary clearance was significantly higher in sleep deprivation (A) and deprivation control (B) groups than the control group (C) (p = .037). The ratio of columnar ciliary was significantly higher in group A and B than in the control group (p = .003). The transitional epithelial ratio in groups A and B was also significantly increased compared with group C (p = .04). The control group's squamous epithelial ratio was increased compared to the sleep-deprived groups (p = .003). There was a significantly increased inflammatory response in the ciliated columnar epithelium in groups A and B compared to group C (p = .02). For the first time in the literature, we demonstrated that chronic sleep deprivation has caused a significant increase in mucociliary clearance speed and in the number of ciliary cells.

Objective: Although animal studies claim that osteoprotegerin (OPG) is preventive on this system, there are conflicting results in human studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the role o...

Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHLS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary familial disorder characterized by development of malignant and benign neoplasms. Differential diagnosis of the adrenal and pancreatic masses are difficult in patients with VHLS. Iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-123 MIBG) and indium-111 somatostatin receptor scintigraphies (In-111 SRS) have important roles in the differential diagnosis of adrenal and pancreatic masses in those patients. In this case report, we present the findings of I-123 MIBG single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT/CT) and In-111 SRS SPECT/CT in three members of a family with VHLS. In case 1, a residual neuroendocrine tumor (NET) was detected in the head of pancreas on In-111 SRS SPECT/CT images. In case 2 and 3, I-123 MIBG SPECT/CT confirmed the adrenal masses as pheochromocytoma, and the extra-adrenal mass as NET, before surgery. We thought that In-111 SRS and I-123 MIBG scan might be helpful in the routine work up of VHLS patients for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Hybrid SPECT/CT system may improve diagnostic accuracy of planar images since it assesses morphologic and functional information together.Von Hippel-Lindau sendromu (VHLS) malign ve benign tümörler ile karakterize otozomal dominant herediter ailesel bir hastalıktır. VHLS’li hastalarda adrenal ve pankreatik kitlelerin ayırıcı tanısı zordur. Bu hastalarda iyot-123 metaiyodobenzilguanidin (I-123 MIBG) ve indiyum-111 somatostatin reseptör sintigrafileri (In-111 SRS) adrenal ve pankreatik kitlelerin ayırıcı tanısında önemli rol oynar. Bu olgu sunumunda VHLS’li ailenin üç üyesinin I-123 MIBG bilgisayarlı tek foton emisyonlu tomografisi (SPECT/BT) ve In-111 SRS SPECT/BT bulgularını sunuyoruz. Olgu 1’de, In-111 SRS SPECT/BT görüntülerinde pankreas başında rezidü nöroendokrin tümör (NET) saptandı. Olgu 2 ve 3’de, I-123 MIBG SPECT/BT cerrahi öncesi adrenal bezdeki kitleleri feokromositoma ve adrenal dışı kitleyi NET olarak onayladı. In-111 SRS ve I-123 MIBG sintigrafilerinin VHLS’li hastaların tanı ve tedavisi için rutin kullanımda yararlı olabileceğini düşündük. Hibrid SPECT/BT morfolojik ve fonksiyonel bilgileri birlikte değerlendirdiği için, planar görüntülerin tanısal doğruluğunu artırır.

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA) is a paraneoplastic manifestation of gastric and, more frequently, lung carcinomas. It is characterized by extremity pain, clubbing, arthritis and periostitis of the long bones. Periostitis is the hallmark of HPOA and can be revealed with bone scintigraphy. Whole-body bone scintigraphy (WBBS) is very sensitive during the active lesion period and WBBS findings usually precede that of plain radiography. WBBS can also show improvement in the first 6 months following treatment, thus making it an important technique in the management and follow-up of these patients. While HPOA findings are usually seen in the lower extremities, involvement of both upper and lower extremities is a rare condition. In this case report, it is aimed to present findings of a 67-year-old male patient with lung cancer and complaint of extremity pain. We report on this patient to draw attention to HPOA of both upper and lower extremities.Hipertrofik pulmoner osteoartopati (HPOA), mide ve özellikle akciğer kanserlerinde görülebilen bir paraneoplastik sendromdur. Çomak parmak, artrit, ekstremite ağrısı ve uzun kemiklerde periostit ile karakterizedir. Periostit HPOA’nın ayırıcı bulgularındandır ve sintigrafi ile gösterilebilir. Sintigrafik bulgular çoğunlukla radyolojik bulgulardan önce ortaya çıkar. Tüm vücut kemik sintigrafisi (TVKS) aktif lezyon döneminde oldukça duyarlıdır. TVKS ile tedavi sonrası ilk 6 ayda bulgularda gerileme gösterilebilir. Dolayısıyla TVKS, bu hastaların tanı ve takibinde önemli bir yer tutar. HPOA bulguları çoğunlukla alt ekstremitede görülür; hem üst hem alt ekstremite tutulumu nadir görülen bir durumdur. Bu olgu takdimi, ekstremite ağrısı ile başvuran akciğer kanseri hastalarında, hem alt hem üst ekstremitede nadiren görülen HPOA tablosuna dikkat çekmek amacıyla sunulmaktadır.

Stress fractures are injuries most commonly seen in the lower limbs and are usually caused by repetitive stress. While the distal and middle third of the tibia is the most frequent site for stress fractures (almost 50%), stress fractures of the proximal tibia is relatively rare and could be confused with other types of tibial fractures, thus altering management plans for the clinician. Early diagnosis of stress fractures is also important to avoid complications. Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis of stress fractures, especially bone scan. Combined with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) it is an important imaging technique for stress fractures in both upper and lower extremities, and is widely preferred over other imaging techniques. In this case, we present the case of a 39-year-old male patient diagnosed with stress fracture of the proximal tibia and demonstrate the contribution of CT scan fused with SPECT imaging in the early diagnosis of stress fracture prior to other imaging modalities.Stres kırıkları çoğunlukla alt ekstremitede görülen ve genellikle tekrarlayan strese bağlı gelişen yaralanmalardır. Tibia orta kesimi ve distali stres kırıklarının en sık görüldüğü bölgeler iken (yaklaşık %50), proksimal tibianın stres kırıkları nispeten nadirdir, diğer kırık türleriyle karıştırılabilir ve bu durum klinisyenin tedavi planını etkileyebilir. Stres kırıklarının erken tanısı komplikasyonları önlemek açısından önemlidir. Görüntüleme yöntemleri, stres kırıklarının teşhisinde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Özellikle tek-foton emisyon bilgisayarlı tomografi/bilgisayarlı tomografi (SPECT/BT) ile birleştirilen kemik sintigrafisi hem üst hem de alt ekstremite stres kırıkları için önemli bir görüntüleme tekniğidir ve diğer görüntüleme tekniklerine göre çok daha fazla tercih edilmektedir. Bu yazıda proksimal tibiada stres kırığı tanısı alan 39 yaşındaki bir erkek hastanın hikayesini sunuyor ve stres kırığının erken tanısında SPECT/BT taramasının katkısını gösteriyoruz. Anahtar kelimeler: Stres kırığı, proksimal tibia, kemik sintigrafisi, tek-foton emisyonlu bilgisayarlı tomografi/bilgisayarlı tomografi.

Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly heterogeneous subtype of lung cancer. There are still no widely accepted prognostic parameters for stage III NSCLC. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of the standardized uptake value (SUV) max ratio of primary tumor to lymph node (T/N SUV max) and its correlation with various hematological parameters. Patient data were reviewed from the hospital database retrospectively. The T/N SUV max ratio was calculated by dividing the SUV max of the primary tumor by the maximal SUV max of the lymph node. The cut-off value for T/N SUV max ratio was determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan–Meier method with the Long-rank test. P value 1.96 were defined as low risk patients. The median event (recurrence or progression) free survival was 24.3 months (95% confidence interval: 12.0–36.6) for low risk patients, and 9.2 months (95% confidence interval: 6.1–12.4) for high risk patients (P = .0015). There was an inverse correlation between T/N SUV max and hemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volume (rho: −0.349, P = .011; rho: −0.312, P = .025, respectively). Low risk patients had a more favorable prognosis compared to high risk patients. We demonstrated that T/N SUV max can be of prognostic value in stage III NSCLC. T/N SUV max correlated only with hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume.

Background: Bone metastasis is common in cancer. Evaluating the metastatic status in cancer is of utmost importance in order to provide the best patient’s management. Discussion: Bone scintigraphy is widely used for evaluation of bone metastasis. It has high sensitivity with limited specificity. Planar bone scintigraphy has been shown to have increased radiotracer uptake without accurate anatomic localization and characterization. Hybrid Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computerized Tomography (SPECT/CT) system has been developed by combination of SPECT and CT. Accurate lesion localization and discrimination of equivocal bone lesions is an advantage in this hybrid technique. It improves diagnostic accuracy by differentiation of benign bone lesions from malignant ones due to their morphological changes. So, SPECT/CT improves the specificity of bone scintigraphy leading to better outcomes in diagnosis and treatment outcomes of bone metastatic cancer patients. Conclusion: In here, we discussed the prognostic value of bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in bone metastasis with our clinical experience and review of the literature.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of single-photon emission computerized tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) to three-phase planar bone scintigraphy/SPECT in the assessment of aseptic and septic prosthesis loosening in patients with painful hip and knee prostheses.Fifty patients who had undergone arthroplasties (20 hips and 30 knees) and were suspected to have complications and had undergone revision surgery were included in this study. Technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate three-phase bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT were performed at the region of prostheses in all patients. Planar bone/SPECT and SPECT/CT images were separately assessed by two nuclear medicine physicians. SPECT/CT findings were compared with the findings of planar images/SPECT. Both planar bone scan/SPECT and SPECT/CT findings were divided into three groups: aseptic loosening, septic loosening, and miscellaneous. In all patients, scintigraphic diagnosis was confirmed by surgical findings.SPECT/CT changed the diagnosis and treatment plan in 8/50 (16%) patients. SPECT/CT was significantly better than planar scan/SPECT imaging for the diagnosis of aseptic and septic loosening in both joints (κ value: 0.477 for planar scan/SPECT; κ value: 0.717 for SPECT/CT). Moreover, both planar scan/SPECT and SPECT/CT were statistically successful in knee prostheses than in hip prostheses (κ value: 0.271 vs. 0.579 for planar/SPECT; κ value: 0.579 vs. 0.80 for SPECT/CT). For the hip, SPECT/CT was successful on the acetabular component than on the femoral component. For the knee, the results of SPECT/CT were similar for the femoral and tibial components.SPECT/CT increases diagnostic accuracy in the evaluation of aseptic and septic loosening in hip and knee prostheses compared with three-phase bone scintigraphy/SPECT.

This article is primarily based on the utility and validity of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis and staging of prostate gland tumors. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging, useful approach for evaluating and detecting prostate cancers. It also aids in the management of a tumor and improve the care and follow-up of patients.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessively-inherited disorder typically manifested by recurrent attacks of fever and polyserositis. The articular disease occurs in 50-70% of patients. Bone scintigraphy is more sensitive in the diagnosis of arthritis than clinical examination or conventional radiological imaging, allowing earlier diagnosis through the visualization of disease in multiple sites. To assess joint involvements in FMF patients with or without joint symptoms, bone scintigraphy was performed in 36 patients with FMF and in 25 controls. There was arthritis in 72% of patients. Of these, 65% knee, 42% ankle, 50% sacroiliac, 8% elbow, 8% wrist, 4% sternoclavicular and 4% hip involvements were found. The sacroiliac joints with sacroiliac index higher than 1.34 were diagnosed as sacroiliitis, which was higher than 2 SD of normal. FMF is frequently associated with joint disease such as knee and ankle arthritis and sacroiliitis. This high incidence of sacroiliitis in our study has not been previously reported. This difference could be explained by the different methodology used for the screening of the joints. Thus, we recommend that bone scintigraphy can be used in patients with FMF to determine the presence of arthritis, especially in sacroiliac joints, even asymptomatic.

Radiolabelled somatostatin analogues are of potential value in the imaging of somatostatin receptor-positive tumours. Recently, somatostatin receptors have been demonstrated in the osteoblast precursor cells. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the uptake characteristics of indium-111 octreotide in two benign and two malignant bone tumours, Tracer accumulation was observed in all four cases, and overall lesion to background ratio (mean +/- SD) was 2.74 +/- 0.84 and 2.98 +/- 1.49 at 4 h and 24 h, respectively. There was no clear relationship between In-111-octreotide accumulation and the benign or malignant nature of the tumour. In one patient, tracer uptake was inhibited by unlabelled octreotide administration. These results suggest that In-111-octreotide can be taken up by benign and malignant bone tumours. The inhibition of tumour uptake by treatment with cold octreotide supports the concept that specific uptake mechanisms are responsible for In-111-octreotide deposition by bone rumours.

Background and Objectives In the literature, drainage to epitrochlear and popliteal sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) are analyzed for whole or distal extremity (below elbow or knee) melanomas that are not topographically homogeneous with respect to tendency of drainage to interval SLNs. We hypothesize that acral (hand and foot) skin has a uniform frequency of drainage to interval SLNs, which is higher than reported for distal extremity melanomas. Methods One hundred healthy subjects were enrolled. Fifty subjects had standard four extremity lymphoscintigraphies by radiocolloid injection into an interdigital web space as in lymphodynamic studies. On another 50 subjects, either targeted upper (n = 25) or lower (n = 25) extremity lymphoscintigraphies were performed utilizing injection sites that likely drain to interval SLNs. Acral skin drainage to interval SLNs was analyzed for interindividual variability and injection site dependence. Results There was considerable interindividual variability in drainage of each injection site to interval SLNs. Hand skin had a uniform 50% frequency of drainage to epitrochlear–midhumeral SLNs with both injection sites. This frequency was higher than the epitroclear SLN frequencies reported for distal extremity melanomas. Foot skin had 10% and 90% frequencies of drainage to popliteal SLNs from standard and targeted injection sites, respectively. Foot skin largely simulates the tendency of drainage reported for distal extremity melanomas while lateral heel represents a limited zone that almost uniformly drains to popliteal SLNs. Conclusions Despite dissimilarities between hand and foot, acral skin drainage to interval SLNs is high enough to obligate a thorough interval SLN exploration in acral primaries. J. Surg. Oncol. 2006;93:286–293. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Effects of the electromagnetic fields on living bodies, bones in particular, are among the relevant issues of contemporary life. In this study, we report the influences of 50 Hz and 0 Hz (static) electric fields (EF), on intact rat bones, as evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorbtion (DEXA) measurements on bone content and density when these animals (n = 27) are continuously exposed in utero and neonatally to EFs (10 kV/m) 14 days before and 14 days after their birth, for 28 days in total. Differences between 50 Hz EF and static EF groups are found to be significant (95% confidence level) for total bone mineral content (BMC), TBMC (P = .002). Differences between 50 Hz and control groups are found to be significant for total bone mineral density (BMD), TBMD (P = .002), lumbar BMC, LBMC (P = .023), and TBMC (P = .001). Differences between static EF and control groups are found to be significant for femoral BMD, FBMD (P = .009), TBMD (P = .002), LBMC (P = .001), and TBMC (P = .001). Note that TBMC parameters are jointly significant for all differences between the three groups of test animals. These results have shown that both static and 50 Hz EFs influence the early development of rat bones. However, the influence of static EFs is more pronounced than that of the 50 Hz field. Bioelectromagnetics 27:589–592, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder primarily involving the joints. Lung alterations in RA may be primary or secondary to pharmacological treatments and may involve the alveoli, interstitium, airways and/or pleura. Technetium-99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Tc-99m DTPA) aerosol inhalation scintigraphy is a sensitive and noninvasive test commonly employed to assess pulmonary epithelial membrane permeability. The purpose of the this study was a) to investigate the changes of pulmonary alveolar epithelial permeability in patients with RA, b) to determine the relationship between the clearance rate of Tc-99m DTPA and pulmonary function test (PFT) results, and c) to determine the relationship between the clearance rete of Tc-99m DTPA and clinical parameters of disease. Twenty-five patients with RA but without lung alterations were included in the study. The patients were 22 females, and 3 males; mean age 53.6 ± 8.7 years. Technetium-99m DTPA aerosol inhalation scintigraphy was performed on the study and healthy control groups. Clearance half times (T 1/2 ) were calculated by placing a mono-exponential fit on the curves. Penetration index (PI) was calculated on the first-minute image. There were no significant differences in the mean T 1/2 or mean PI values between the RA patients and control subjects. No correlation was found between the mean T 1/2 values of Tc-99m DTPA clearance and activity of RA, clinical values, or the spirometric measurements except FEV 1 /FVC and functional status in RA patients (p = 0.02, p = 0.01, respectively). However, a weak correlation was found between duration of disease and T 1/2 values of Tc-99m DTPA clearance (p = 0.006). PI values tended to correlate with FEF 25-75 , although, this was not statistically significant (p = 0.057). This study shows that no changes occur in alveolar-capillary permeability in RA patients without lung alterations.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is the abnormal dilatation of a segment of the coronary artery to a diameter of at least 1.5 times that of normal adjacent segments. Symptoms are variable, and its prognosis and treatment modalities are unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of trimetazidine (TMZ) on ischemic left ventricular function by rest-stress Tc-99m methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (Tc-99m MIBI) myocardial scintigraphy in symptomatic patients with CAE.We included patients with ectasia admitted to our Cardiology Department, Turkey, between 2003 and 2004 in this study. All patients underwent coronary angiography and diagnosed with CAE, before and 4 weeks after TMZ administration. Seventeen patients (9 men, 8 women) underwent gated single-proton emission tomographic (SPECT) using Tc-99m MIBI. We performed quantitative global and regional ventricular functional analysis using quantitative gated SPECT software.The global ejection fraction increased from 59.9%+/-8.9% to 62.6%+/-8.3% after therapy (p=0.033). In addition, the end systolic volume and the end diastolic volume decreased after therapy (101.7+/-23.5 ml to 95.1+/-22.9 ml, p=0.002; from 41.1+/-14.3 to 36.4+/-13.6, p=002). In all segments, we observed significant post-therapy increases in relative tracer uptake. Percentage of MIBI uptake was 71.2+/-15.3 at baseline stress and 73.2+/-15 post-TMZ (p=0.001). As global function parameters, the total wall motion normal areas changed significantly (67-74% p=0.01) after therapy, but the total wall thickness did not changed significantly(49-45%, p=0.21).The results of this study demonstrate that TMZ improves myocardial function by rest-stress Tc-99m MIBI gated SPECT during stress-induced ischemia in patients with CAE. Also, the outcomes revealed improvement in functional parameters, and percentage of MIBI uptake post TMZ administration. We can use this procedure to monitor the effect of TMZ in CAE patients.

Background. In lymphoscintigraphies of the head and neck, multiple injections around a tumor result in variable drainage to multiple nodal basins. We undertook this study in healthy subjects to test whether single injections at specified points in the auricle display single predictable pathways and predict visualization of parotid sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). Methods. Twenty-five healthy subjects were classified ac- cording to their injection points in the auricle. Each was injected bilaterally with 99m Tc nanocolloid. Parotid and extraparotid lymph nodes were topographically differentiated. The procedure was repeated 1 week later. Results. Lymphoscintigraphy was reproducible. Each injec- tion revealed a single SLN. Injection site predicted parotid SLN visualization. Two lymphatic territories with parotid or extrapa- rotid drainage were identified. Conclusions. Lymphatic territories in the auricle coincide with the vascular territories and branchial origins. Our findings contradict the notion that lymphatic drainage of the head and neck is unpredictable and variably involves multiple nodal basins. A 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 27: 893 - 900, 2005

DTPA clearance rate is a reliable index of alveolar epithelial permeability, and is a highly sensitive marker of pulmonary epithelial damage, even of mild degree. In this study, 99mTc-DTPA aerosol inhalation scintigraphy was used to assesss the pulmonary epithelial membrane permeability and to investigate the possible application of this permeability value as an indicator of early alveolar or interstitial changes in patients with blunt chest trauma. A total of 26 patients was chest trauma (4 female, 22 male, 31-80 yrs, mean age; 53+/-13 yrs) who were referred to the emergency department in our hospital participated in this tsudy. Technetium-99m diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) aerosol inhalation scintigraphy was performed on the first and thirtieth days after trauma. Clearance half times (T1/2) were calculated by placing a mono-exponential fit on the curves. Penetration index (PI) was calculated on the first-minute image. On the first day, mean T1/2 value of the whole lung was 63+/-19 minutes (min), and thirtieth day mean T1/2 value was 67+/-21 min. On the first day, mean PI values of the lung and 30th day mean PI value were 0.60+/-0.05, and 0.63+/-0.05, respectively. Significant changes were observed in radioaerosol clearance and penetration indices. Following chest trauma, clearance of 99mTc-DTPA increased owing to breakdown of the alveolar-capillary barrier. This increase in the epithelial permeability of the lung appears to be an early manifestation of lung disease that may lead to efficient therapy in the early phase.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a relative common sequel after hemiplegia. The diagnosis of RSD in hemiplegic patients presents difficult clinical problems, as the symptoms and signs of RSD are not specific and RSD may be due to reasons other than hemiplegia. Bone scintigraphy has been routinely used for the diagnosis of RSD; however, the optimal acquisition protocols, diagnostic patterns and the utility of quantitation are controversial. This prospective study was conducted to demonstrate the higher predictive value of an additional late blood pool image to the three-phase bone scan compared to the regular three-phase bone scans in RSD patients associated with hemiplegia. Thirty-four RSD patients were enrolled into the study. Bone scans according to the new protocol were obtained for all patients. Those patients with either negative or positive bone scans with no evidence of RSD were followed for 6 months. The patients had positive bone scan findings and were symptomatic at the time of the study. Of these, seven patients (58.3%) subsequently became symptomatic and five patients (41.7%) remained asymptomatic at 6 months. None of the patients with negative bone scans had symptoms of RSD on presentation except one case. We conclude that the addition of a late blood pool image increases the predictive value and has an impact on initiating early treatment in asymptomatic patients.

Okudan Tekin, Berna/0000-0001-8076-3988 WOS: 000176986800031 PubMed: 12119495 …