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Theranostics labeled with Y-90 or Lu-177 are highly efficient therapeutic approaches for the systemic treatment of various cancers including neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been used for many years for metastatic or inoperable neuroendocrine tumors. However, renal and hematopoietic toxicities are the major limitations for this therapeutic approach. Kidneys have been considered as the "critical organ" because of the predominant glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption by the proximal tubules, and interstitial retention of the tracers. Severe nephrotoxity, which has been classified as grade 4-5 based on the "Common Terminology Criteria on Adverse Events," was reported in the range from 0%-14%. There are several risk factors for renal toxicity; patient-related risk factors include older age, preexisting renal disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous nephrotoxic chemotherapy, metastatic lesions close to renal parenchyma, and single kidney. There are also treatment-related issues, such as choice of radionuclide, cumulative radiation dose to kidneys, renal radiation dose per cycle, activity administered, number of cycles, and time interval between cycles. In the literature, nephrotoxicity caused by PRRT was documented using different criteria and renal function tests, from serum creatinine level to more accurate and sophisticated methods. Generally, serum creatinine level was used as a measure of kidney function. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation based on serum creatinine was preferred by several authors. Most commonly used formulas for estimation of GFR are "Modifications of Diet in Renal Disease" (MDRD) equation and "Cockcroft-Gault" formulas. However, more precise methods than creatinine or creatinine clearance are recommended to assess renal function, such as GFR measurements using Tc-99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), Cr-51-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or measurement of Tc-99m-MAG3 clearance, particularly in patients with preexisting risk factors for long-term nephrotoxicity. Proximal tubular reabsorption and interstitial retention of tracers result in excessive renal irradiation. Coinfusion of positively charged amino acids, such as l-lysine and l-arginine, is recommended to decrease the renal retention of the tracers by inhibiting the proximal tubular reabsorption. Furthermore, nephrotoxicity may be reduced by dose fractionation. Patient-specific dosimetric studies showed that renal biological effective dose of

Aim To evaluate the use of intraoperative gamma probe survey (IGPS) and frozen section (FS) in the surgical treatment of parathyroid adenoma (PA) in children. Patients and methods Children operated for PA between 2000 and 2015 were evaluated for age, sex, clinical features, presenting symptoms, diagnostic methods and results of surgical treatment retrospectively. Results Seven patients operated for PA were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 14.58years (11–17years) and male to female ratio was 4:3. Presenting symptoms were non-specific such as fatigue, weakness and abdominal pain ( n =4). Six patients (85.8%) had adenoma of single parathyroid gland whereas remaining patient has involvement of two glands (14.2%). Localizations of adenomas were left inferior ( n =3, 42.8%), right inferior ( n =2, 28.3%), right superior ( n =1, 14.2%), left superior ( n =1, 14.2%) and intrathymic ( n =1, 14.2%). In case with involvement of more than one gland, adenomas were localized at right superior/left inferior glands. The mean longest diameter of the adenomas were 14.8mm (4–23mm) and all of the cases were underwent USG and Tc-99m sestamibi scan. During surgical excision, FS were used in 5 cases, and 4 cases had IGPS after preoperative radioactive substance injection. In one patient, injection was performed directly into the adenoma and 3 patients had systemic injection. Patient who had injection directly into the involved gland had positive gamma counts in the adjacent tissues because of local spread of radioactive substance and diagnosis was also confirmed with FS. In two of the cases, adenoma excision was performed without FS with only IGPS. None of the patients had preoperative and postoperative complications. Conclusion PA is rare in children and appropriate gland excision can be obtained also by the help of IGPS after injection of radioactive substance, and frozen section examination as well as intraoperative parathormone (PTH) screening. IGPS is a helpful tool to define the target tissue during surgery in order to avoid extensive dissection. Since direct injection of involved gland may cause accumulation of radioactivity in the adjacent tissues, surgeons must be aware of advantages and disadvantages of different radiolabeling techniques.

Secondary involvement of the adrenal gland with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been reported to occur in up to 25% of patients during the course of the disease. A 45-year-old man presented with a several month history of nausea, fatigue and weight loss. His medical history was unremarkable. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was performed and showed bilateral adrenal massive masses measuring 10x7.5 cm on the left and 4.8x4 cm on the right. He developed adrenal insufficiency in the follow-up period. The patient was started on replacement dose of prednisolone. A positron emission tomography-CT scan was acquired for further staging of the disease and showed intense fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation in both adrenal glands, additionally a slight fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation was observed in the ileocecal site. He did not accept adrenal biopsy or surgery. Histopathological examination of the ileocecal site revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He was administered rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy. Bilateral adrenal lymphoma is a rare entity when compared with the incidence of adenoma and adrenal metastases of other cancers. Adrenal insufficiency may be the primary symptom of presentation, especially with bilateral involvement as in bilateral adrenal lymphoma.

The recent addition of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-CT into bone scintigraphy (BS), increased the accuracy of the test. The objective of this study was to define the main problematic scintigraphic patterns that were solved with the contribution of SPECT-CT and serve as a guide to the medical oncologist who will refer their patients to BS.Two hundred and ten patients (median age 62 years, range 12-80, F/M:122/ 88) with diagnosis of cancer (breast 109;52%, prostate 63;30%, lung 15;7% and others 20;11%) were referred for BS. Subsequent SPECT-CT images (231 images from 210 patients) were obtained from the related body regions where suspicious skeletal radioactivity uptake had been observed. BS and SPECT-CT images were classified into groups according to the BS, clinical history and other imaging results in consideration with the role of SPECT-CT for more accurate diagnosis.SPECT-CT studies resulted in the emergence of 6 main patterns that helped improve the interpretation of the whole-body BS for more accurate diagnosis. Pattern 1: Extraskeletal uptake and/or incidental findings (14/231;6%); Pattern 2: Identification of skeletal trauma and degenerative osteoarthritic diseases (147/231;64%); Pattern 3: Benign bone tumors and reactions (12/231;5%); Pattern 4: Sclerotic-mixed type metastases (32;14%); Pattern 5: Lytic/ bone marrow metastases (12/231;5%); Pattern 6: Metabolically inactive metastases (14/231;6%).SPECT-CT is a revolutionary technique that improved the interpretation of BS. Recognition of patterns of disease that may be resolved with SPECT-CT will help significantly to better understanding the patient's bone disease.

Nuclear medicine has an important role in the management of many cancers in pediatric age group with multiple imaging modalities and radiopharmaceuticals targeting various biological uptake mechanisms. 18-Flourodeoxyglucose is the radiotracer of choice especially in patients with sarcoma and lymphoma. (18)FDG-PET, for sarcoma and lymphomas, is proved to be superior to conventional imaging in staging and therapy response. Although studies are limited in pediatric population, (18)FDG-PET/CT has found its way through international guidelines. Limitations and strengths of PET imaging must be noticed before adapting PET imaging in clinical protocols. Established new response criteria using multiple parameters derived from (18)FDG-PET would increase the accuracy and repeatability of response evaluation. Current data suggest that I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) remains the tracer of choice in the evaluation of neuroblastoma (NB) because of its high sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and prognostic value. It is valuable in determining the response to therapy, surveillance for disease recurrence, and in selecting patients for I-131 therapy. SPECT/CT improves the diagnostic accuracy and the interpretation confidence of MIBG scans. (18)FDG-PET/CT is an important complementary to MIBG imaging despite its lack of specificity to NB. It is valuable in cases of negative or inconclusive MIBG scans and when MIBG findings underestimate the disease status as determined from clinical and radiological findings. F-18 DOPA is promising tracer that reflects catecholamine metabolism and is both sensitive and specific. F-18 DOPA scintigraphy provides the advantages of PET/CT imaging with early and short imaging times, high spatial resolution, inherent morphologic correlation with CT, and quantitation. Regulatory and production issues currently limit the tracer's availability. PET/CT with Ga-68 DOTA appears to be useful in NB imaging and may have a unique role in selecting patients for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with somatostatin analogues. C-11 hydroxyephedrine PET/CT is a specific PET tracer for NB, but the C-11 label that requires an on-site cyclotron production and the high physiologic uptake in the liver and kidneys limit its use. I-124 MIBG is useful for I-131 MIBG pretherapeutic dosimetry planning. Its use for diagnostic imaging as well as the use of F-18 labeled MIBG analogues is currently experimental. PET/MR imaging is emerging and is likely to become an important tool in the evaluation. It provides metabolic and superior morphological data in one imaging session, expediting the diagnosis and lowering the radiation exposure. Radioactive iodines not only detect residual tissue and metastatic disease but also are used in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. However, these are not well documented in pediatric age group like adult patients. Use of radioactivity in pediatric population is very important and strictly controlled because of the possibility of secondary malignities; therefore, management of oncological cases requires detailed literature knowledge. This article aims to review the literature on the use of radionuclide imaging and therapy in pediatric population with thyroid cancer, sarcomas, lymphoma, and NB.

Nuclear medicine techniques are increasingly used in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal system diseases. Among these, bone scintigraphy has been used for many years in the diagnosis and follow-up of benign and malignant diseases. The introduction of SPECT-CT improved the specificity of the test and increased utilization. Molecular imaging with FDG-PET-CT has now become indispensable in the staging and treatment follow-up of primary and secondary malignancies of skeletal system. Other radiopharmaceuticals like radiolabeled thymidine and tyrosine will help to better understand the molecular biology of diseases. Bone pain palliation and radiosynovectomy are the routinely used nuclear medicine therapies. The introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals used in conjunction with other methods of treatment will further improve the patient benefit.

Osteopoikilosis (OPK) is a rare disease with an unknown etiology. Although a benign condition, it may lead to diagnostic problems when the patient undergoes diagnostic imaging of the skeletal system due to various reasons like malignancy. Herein, we report 2 cases with OPK causing difficulties in the final diagnosis of the cases which was resolved with the contribution of bone scintigraphy and clinical follow-up.

Introduction To evaluate [ 11 C]Choline positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for staging and restaging of patients with advanced prostate cancer and to compare the diagnostic performance of PET, CT and PET/CT. Methods Forty-five consecutive patients with advanced prostate cancer underwent [ 11 C]Choline-PET/CT between 5/2004 and 2/2006. Results Overall, 295 lesions were detected: PET alone, 178 lesions; diagnostic CT, 221 lesions; PET/CT (low-dose CT), 272 lesions; PET/CT (diagnostic CT), 295 lesions. Two thirds of the lesions were located in the bone; one third in the prostate, lymph nodes, periprostatic tissue and soft tissue (lung, liver). The use of diagnostic CT did not result in a statistically significant difference with respect to lesion localization certainty and lesion characterization ( P =.063, P =.063). PET-negative but PET/CT-positive lesions were mostly localized in the bone (78%, 91/117) as were PET-positive and CT-negative lesions (72%, 53/74). Of the latter, 91% (48/53) represented bone marrow and 9% (5/53) cortical involvement. Conclusions Staging and restaging with [ 11 C]Choline PET/CT in patients with advanced prostate cancer improve the assessment of local and regional recurrent as well as metastatic disease including skeletal manifestations. [ 11 C]Choline PET/CT (with a low-dose CT) results in improved localization and lesion characterization. [ 11 C]Choline PET/CT provides an added value for skeletal manifestations. [ 11 C]Choline PET/CT changed disease management in 11 (24%) of 45 patients with advanced prostate cancer.

An increase of the serum PSA-level is a sensitive in vitro marker for recurrent prostate cancer. However, it remains difficult to differentiate between local, regional or distant recurrent disease. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the detection rate of [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT and the serum PSA-level in patients with a biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer with the view towards localisation of recurrent disease.Sixty-three patients (mean age, 68.8 +/- 6.9; range, 45-83 years) with biochemical recurrence after primary therapy for prostate cancer were included in the analysis. Mean PSA-levels were 5.9 +/- 9.7 ng/ml (range, 0.2-39 ng/ml; median, 2.15). Of the 63 patients, 17 were under anti-androgen therapy at the time of [(11)C]Choline PET/CT. Patients underwent a [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT study after injection of 656 +/- 119 MBq [(11)C]Choline on a Sensation 16 Biograph PET/CT scanner.Of the 63 patients, 35 (56%) showed a pathological [(11)C]Choline uptake. The detection rate of [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT showed a relationship with the serum PSA-level: The detection rate was 36% for a PSA-value1 ng/ml, 43% for a PSA-value 1-2 ng/ml, 62% for a PSA-value 2-3 ng/ml and 73% for a PSA-valueor=3 ng/ml. Anti-androgen therapy did not show a significant effect on the detection rate of [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT (p = 0.374).As an important result our study shows that even for PSA-values1.0 ng/ml the detection efficiency of [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT is 36%. Furthermore, the detection rate of [(11)C]Choline-PET/CT shows a positive relationship with serum PSA-levels in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after primary therapy. Therefore, in these patients, [(11)C]Choline PET/CT allows not only to diagnose but also to localise recurrent disease with implications on disease management (localised vs systemic therapy).

Follicular thyroid carcinoma is common in regions with insufficient iodine diets and represents approximately 10-20 % of all thyroid malignancies1,2. The treatment of patients suffering from follicular thyroid carcinoma includes surgery and radioiodine therapy3. Although after definitive therapy, the survival of these patients is good, these patients need to be followed for local recurrences and distant metastases. The main radionuclide methods that were used for the follow-up of these patients are; Tc-99m pertechnetate, Tc-99m sestamibi, I-131 scintigraphy and F-18fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). These methods were found to be helpful in the identification of residual disease, but they have several non-specific uptake sites which may lead to false interpretation. Here we report a patient with false-positive findings in Tc-99m pertechnetate and Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy.

Background/aim: Breast lesions that are not palpable on physical examination but considered suspicious for malignancy on mammography or ultrasonography should be marked before surgery. Wire-guided localization (WGL) is the most frequently used method for preoperative marking of nonpalpable breast lesions (NPBLs). An alternative is marking by a radioactive agent (radio-guided occult lesion localization; ROLL). The present study aimed to compare WGL and ROLL for preoperative marking. Materials and methods: The study included 25 patients marked by ROLL and 11 patients marked by WGL. The groups were compared in terms of patient and lesion characteristics, method-related characteristics, hospital stay duration, complications, cosmetic outcomes, and rate of correct marking. Results: Suspicious lesions were marked with a success rate of 95.6% by ROLL and 100% by WGL. Complications and pain sensation rates were found significantly lower in the ROLL group compared to WGL. Although ROLL was considered more advantageous in terms of hospital stay duration, positive surgical margins, cosmetic outcomes, and excision duration, the differences between the groups were not statistically significant. Conclusion: ROLL, which is a simple, comfortable, and reliable method, could be used as an alternative to the WGL in preoperative marking of NPBLs.

This paper describes a novel approach for designing drug delivery systems for intra-articular (i.a.) treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Retention of these systems was evaluated by radiolabeling with Tc-99m and gamma scintigraphy in arthritic rabbits. Liposome, niosome, lipogelosome and niogelosome formulations of Diclofenac Sodium (DFNa) have been prepared and drug release properties and in vitro characterisation studies have been carried out. According to characterisation results L1 (DMPC: CHOL: DCP (7:1:2)), L1J1 (DMPC: CHOL: DCP (7:1:2) in C-940 1:1 (w/w)), N (SUR I: CHOL: DCP (7:1:2)) and NJ1 (SUR I: CHOL: DCP (7:1:2) in C-940 1:1 (w/w)) formulations were chosen for the further studies. Retention time of these formulations was evaluated by gamma scintigraphic imaging studies. Rabbits with antigen-induced arthritis were injected intra-articularly with Tc-99m labelled drug delivery systems. Serial scintigraphic images were obtained to investigate the retentions of labelled drug delivery systems in the arthritic joints and choose a suitable formulation for the treatment protocol of arthritis. At the end of the scintigraphic imaging studies it was observed that radiolabelled lipogelosome formulation containing DFNa (L1J1) retained much longer in the experimentally arthritic knee joints of the rabbits. This formulation was used for the treatment protocol of arthritis. Mono articular arthritis was induced in the knee joints of rabbits and it was monitored at regular time intervals by measuring changes in knee joint diameter. Also macroscopic and histopathologic evaluations were performed for further evaluation of arthritis. Great retention of DFNa in the arthritic joint might reduce potential adverse systemic effects of the drug because of local administration into the diseased area. It appeared to be a promising drug delivery system for intra-articular drug delivery.

Measurement of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels and I-131 whole body scintigraphy (WBS) are used in the follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). This study was designed to evaluate the significance of persistent I-131 uptake in the thyroid bed in patients with DTC following surgery and/or radioactive iodine ablation. Tc-99m thyroid scintigraphy (TS) and I-131 thyroid uptake (IU) were also performed to determine their clinical impact on patient management.Sixty-two non-metastatic patients (14 men, 48 women) with a mean age of 44 years (range: 16-75) who had undergone surgical thyroidectomy for DTC were evaluated prospectively. All patients had undergone technetium and iodine scintigraphy (IS). Although serum Tg levels were measured in all patients, IU was available in 36.Tg values were in the range of 0.2-24 ng/ml (median: 0.2 ng/ml) when patients were in the hypothyroid state. I-131 WBS detected residual tissue in the neck in 30 patients (48%); however TS was positive in only 12 (19%). I-131 uptake in the thyroid bed ranged from 0 to 14% (median: 0.1%). Twelve of 13 patients with positive IS and negative TS had uptake valuesor = 0.3% (p0.00001). When IU values wereor = 0.3%, 54% of our patients did not have any uptake in the thyroid bed on TS or IS, whereas when IU was0.3%, 80% of patients had neck uptake on both TS and IS (p0.00001).The results of this study demonstrate that the concordance of IS and TS depends on the IU level after suspension of replacement therapy. Measurements of IU and TS are of considerable value in evaluating patient response to therapy and will substantially reduce the need for repetitive radioiodine scans and unnecessary treatment doses in patients with undetectable Tg values.

CASE REPORT We report a rare case with cutaneous calcinosis due to parental calcium (Ca)-gluconate infiltration. A 4-month-old child was admitted to the hospital with fever, necrotic wounds, and edema in the left hand and right foot. His medical history revealed that he was treated with multiple Ca-gluconate infusions to treat the hypocalcemic neonatal tetany. Three-phase bone scintigraphy with 99m Tc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) was performed for the differential diagnosis to exclude osteomyelitis. Blood flow and blood pool phases revealed increased tracer distribution in the right lower extremity. Late, static views showed intense tracer uptake in the left hand and right, lower extremity regions, being localized mainly in the subdermal soft tissue (Fig 1). Bony structures had lower tracer uptake compared with the soft tissue. Radiograph examination of affected areas were within normal limits, except minimal soft tissue swelling. Scintigraphic findings and clinical history supported evidence of soft tissue inflammation secondary to Cagluconate toxicity rather than osteomyelitis. Radiographic examination was repeated 1 month later. Softtissue calcifications were seen on x-ray with a similar pattern of the 99mTc-MDP distribution (Fig 2). In a review of literature, common and rare causes of extraosseous calcifications are shown in Table 1.

Among currently used cancer imaging methods, nuclear medicine modalities provide metabolic information, whereas modalities in radiology provide anatomical information. However, different modalities, having different acquisition times in separate machines, decrease the specificity and accuracy of images. To solve this problem, hybrid imaging modalities were developed as a new era, especially in the cancer imaging field. With widespread usage of hybrid imaging modalities, specific contrast agents are essentially needed to use in both modalities, such as single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). Liposomes are one of the most desirable drug delivery systems, depending on their suitable properties. The aim of this study was to develop a liposomal contrast agent for the diagnosis and molecular imaging of tumor by SPECT/CT. Liposomes were prepared nanosized, coated with polyethylene glycol to obtain long blood circulation, and modified with monoclonal antibody 2C5 for specific tumor targeting. Although DTPA-PE and DTPA-PLL-NGPE (polychelating amphilic polymers; PAPs) were loaded onto liposomes for stable radiolabeling for SPECT imaging, iopromide was encapsulated into liposomes for CT imaging. Liposomes [(DPPC: PEG(2000)-PE: Chol: DTPA-PE), (PL 90G:PEG(2000)-PE: Chol: DTPA-PE), (DPPC: PEG(2000)-PE: Chol: PAPs), (PL 90G: PEG(2000)-PE: Chol: PAPs), (60:0.9:39:0.1% mol ratio)] were characterized in terms of entrapment efficiency, particle size, physical stability, and release kinetics. Additionally, in vitro cell-binding studies were carried out on two tumor cell lines (MCF-7 and EL 4) by counting radioactivity. Tumor-specific antibody-modified liposomes were found to be effective multimodal contrast agents by designating almost 3-8 fold more uptake than nonmodified ones in different tumor cell lines. These results could be considered as an important step in the development of tumor-targeted SPECT/CT contrast agents for cancer imaging.

The objective of this study is to determine whether 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D: -glucose with positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging and quantitative PET parameters can predict outcome and differentiate patients with limited disease (LD) from extensive disease (ED) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).We retrospectively evaluated data from 25 patients who underwent either initial staging (Group A, n 12) or restaging (Group B, n 13) by conventional imaging methods and FDG-PET according to the simplified staging scheme developed by the Veterans Administration Lung Cancer Study Group-2. FDG-PET images were both visually and quantitatively evaluated with SUV(max), SUV(ave), total metabolic tumor volume (with SUV(max) %50 and SUV(max) 2.5), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) (with SUV(max) %50 and SUV(max) 2.5). The correlation between quantitative PET parameters, disease stages and survival were analyzed.By conventional methods 14 of 25 (56%) patients were reported to have LD and 11 of 25 (44%) had ED. FDG-PET scan upstaged 9 out of 25 (36%) and downstaged 2 out of 25 (%8) patients. Among the quantitative PET parameters, TLGs were the only PET parameters that differentiated between Group A and Group B patients. FDG-PET staging (p = 0.019) could predict significant survival difference between stages on contrary to conventional staging (p = 0.055). Moreover, TLG [SUV(max) %50] was the only quantitative PET parameter that could predict survival (p = 0.027).FDG-PET imaging is a valuable tool in the management of patients with SCLC for a more accurate staging. The use of quantitative PET parameters may have a role in prediction of stage and survival.

Scintigraphic imaging is a useful screening tool for patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux. New scintigraphic interpretation methods have recently been introduced. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of various scintigraphic interpretation methods in the detection of gastroesophageal reflux and to measure their influence on inter-reader agreement.Scintigraphic images of 49 children with suspected gastroesophageal reflux were interpreted by three different methods: visual interpretation, time activity curves, and condensed images. The readings were performed by three specialists and a resident. The discordant results were resolved by a consensus reading done together by all interpreters based on the three different methods. The gastroesophageal refluxes were grouped according to their number, location and intensity.Gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy revealed 22 patients with negative results and 27 with positive results. The sensitivity, positive predictive value and specificity for each of the three specialists vs. the resident were 96%, 96% and 81% vs. 96%; 93%, 90% and 96% vs. 81%; and 90%, 86%, and 95% vs. 73%, respectively. The mean inter-observer reproducibility (κ value) was 0.910 for visual interpretation, 0.652 for time activity curves and 0.789 for condensed images. Twenty-seven percent of the results were discordant and most of these refluxes were of low grade (92%), low intensity (77%) and localization in the distal esophagus (54%).Gastroesophageal scintigraphy is a useful tool for detecting patients with suspected reflux, and visual interpretation is better than the other two methods in terms of accuracy and inter-observer reproducibility.

The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate the effects of 5-azacytidine-C (5-Aza), trichostatin-A (TSA), and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the mRNA expressions of the sodium and iodine (Na/I) symporter (NIS), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSH-R), as well as radioiodine (RAI) uptake in cancer (B-CPAP) and normal (Nthy-ori 3-1) thyroid cell lines. Cell lines were treated with 10 ng/mL of TSA, 5 μM of 5-AZA, and 1 μM of ATRA, according to the MTT (methyl-thiazol-tetrazolium) test results. Additionally, recombinant thyroid-stimulating hormone (rTSH) was also applied, with a selected dose of 100 ng/mL. Following the treatment, NIS, Tg, TPO, and TSH-R mRNA levels were detected by real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RAI uptakes were measured by using a well counter as counts/cell number. 5-Aza increased TSH-R mRNA expression in both of the cell lines and decreased TPO, NIS, and Tg mRNA levels in the cancer cell line. In the normal thyroid cell line, 5-AZA increased TPO mRNA levels by 2-fold and made no differences in NIS and Tg mRNA levels. TSA treatment repressed NIS and Tg mRNA levels and made no change on other thyroid-specific genes that were investigated in the cancer cell line. In the normal thyroid cell line, TSA increased TSH-R mRNA levels in 72 hours and created no important difference in the other genes. ATRA repressed the TSH-R mRNA levels in the normal thyroid cell line and increased the TPO and Tg mRNA levels slightly in both the cell lines. Furthermore, in short-term treatment, ATRA repressed the NIS gene expression slightly, but in the long term, this repression turned to basal levels. 5-Aza, TSA, and ATRA did not make any changes in RAI uptake in the cancer cell line, but rTSH increased RAI uptake significantly. In the normal thyroid cell line, TSA and ATRA decreased RAI uptake (to 1/10 and 1/2, respectively), but 5-Aza and rTSH increased RAI uptake significantly (2- and 4-fold, respectively). In our study, we showed an increase in TSH-R gene expression and radioiodine uptake with 5-Aza. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to support our findings and the potential clinical use of this agent. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

A 46-year-old male patient with dyspnea and leg edema was referred to our department to rule out pulmonary thromboembolism. His Doppler echocardiography was normal. Lower extremity Doppler ultrasonography revealed thrombosis in his right femoral vein. Computed tomographic angiography showed collaterals compatible with superior and inferior vena cava obstruction. Abdominal computed tomography revealed ascites, dilatation of the azygous and hemiazygous veins, and fatty degeneration in the liver. His hepatic and renal function tests were normal. He underwent a Tc-99m MAA perfusion scintigraphy, which showed a systemic shunt and on follow up, he was diagnosed with Behcet syndrome.

This report describes a pediatric patient with cholecystectomy, excision of type 1 choledochal cyst, and Roux-en-y hepatojejunostomy in whom hepatobiliary scintigraphy played an important role to find out the reason of her postoperative symptoms, helped her surgeons to make the postoperative diagnosis as ascending cholangitis, and plan the patient's secondary therapy.

A 65-year-old-male with the diagnosis of multiple myeloma and squamous cell carcinoma of larynx was evaluated for bone metastases. He underwent a whole body bone scintigraphy after an i.v. injection of 740 MBq of Tc-99m MDP. On the static images increased uptake of activity was observed in his right hand (fig. 1). The unusual localization and pattern of the images had given rise to the suspicion of metastasis and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. A consecutive bone X-ray graphy (fig. 2) showed no abnormality. The authors decided to repeat the scintigraphy with an injection on the dorsum of the foot. The repeated three phase scintigraphy was normal (fig. 3) so the increased Tc-99m MDP uptake seen on the first scan (fig. 1) has been contributed to the intra arterial injection (radial artery) of the tracer.

Whole-body 1-131 scintigraphy is an important component of the postoperative follow-up of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer. However, false-positive scans showing abnormal uptake in the absence of residual thyroid tissue or metastases may occur. Unless recognized as false positive, these abnormal sites of uptake may lead to unnecessary administration of therapeutic doses of 1-131. The authors report a patient with Warthin tumor whose 1-131 whole-body scan demonstrated increased uptake in the parotid gland, despite a negative Tc-99m pertechnetate salivary gland scintigraphy.

Sialadenitis is a well-recognized adverse effect of high-dose radioactive iodine treatment. This study was undertaken to determine whether Tc-99m pertechnetate salivary gland scintigraphy may be used for objective assessment of salivary gland function in patients with thyroid cancer treated with I-131.The study group consisted of 71 patients (16 men, 55 women) with a mean age of 44 years (range, 16 to 73 years). Twenty-six (37%) patients were not given any radioiodine, and 18, 16, and 11 patients received doses of 100, 150, or 200 mCi (or higher), respectively. Parotid and submandibular glands were evaluated based on a four-grade scoring system. Correlation between the type of surgery, administered dose, time since therapy, subjective symptoms, and findings of salivary gland scintigraphy were evaluated.Subjective symptoms were questioned in 39 of the 45 patients who received radioactive iodine treatment. Fifty-four percent (21 of 39) of the patients reported xerostomia, of whom 86% (18 of 21) showed salivary gland dysfunction. Objective salivary gland dysfunction was observed in 69% (31 of 45) of patients. In 81% of the patients, the parotid glands were affected; in 13% of the patients, the submandibular glands were affected; and in 6%, both were affected (0.000001). The frequency of salivary gland dysfunction showed a dose dependence to cumulative activity ( = 0.007). A greater complication rate was observed in patients with total thyroidectomy compared with subtotal surgery, although the correlation was not significant ( = 0.625).Parenchymal damage to the salivary glands induced by radioactive iodine treatment can be evaluated by salivary gland scintigraphy. The impairment is worse in the parotid glands and increases with the total dose.

Osteoid osteoma is a bone-forming neoplasm that occurs most often in the long bones. The occurrence of an osteoid osteoma in a rib is very rare. The authors describe a patient with an isolated osteoid osteoma of the sixth rib detected on Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy. Protrusion of the area of increased tracer uptake in the rib lesion was observed on bone imaging, which suggested a primary bone tumor. The case reported indicates the importance of pattern recognition, which, in certain instances, helps to narrow the differential diagnosis.

DCE-MRI provides information about the perfusion of tumours together with morphological details. Perfusion of tumour could be assessed by dynamic 18FDG PET/CT (dFDG/PET), in addition to metabolic information. This study was planned to compare the semi-quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI) and dFDG/PET in locally advanced breast cancer. Forty patients with LABC underwent DCE-MRI and DFDG/PET study at baseline and after 2-3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Tumour longest diameter, spherical (SV), and angiographic volumes (AV) were recorded. Peak signal intensity (PSI), rapid and medium component of initial rise, percentage of Type I, Type II, Type III curves were calculated. Dynamic 18FDG images for the first 30 minutes and late images at second hour were recorded in the prone position, with hanging breasts and the arms above, using a special cushion. Using 18FDG dynamic data, slopes of time-activity curves for the first 2, 5 and 30 minutes were calculated. SUV max and values for 2nd, 5th and 30th minutes were measured. Metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total glycolytic index (TLG) were calculated for primary lesion and axillary lymph nodes. Baseline angiographic volume (AV) of DCE-MRIs and metabolic (MTV) volume of 18FDG PET/CT studies were significantly correlated. PSI had a negative correlation with 2nd minute slope of FDG dynamic curve, whereas type III enhancement percentage had positive correlation with 2/30 slope ratio. % AV change showed significant relationship with % SUVmax-bw, % SUVpeak, % MTV and % TLG. Dynamic imaging with 18FDG provides useful information about tumour perfusion which is in relation with dynamic CE-MRI parameters.