Breast incidental lesions at 18 f FDG PET/CT: diagnostic performance of pet-derived metabolic parameters

Background: Breast incidental lesion at 18 F FDG PET/CT are occasionally encountered in cancer patients, which may represent a second primary malignancy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of PET metabolic parameters to characterize breast incidentaloma

Materials and Methods: All the images of patients with cancers other than breast with breast incidental lesion underwent PET/CT scan at Masih Daneshvari Hospital between May 2012 and May 2016 were retrieved and reviewed. SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV and TLG in addition to associated morphologic features on CT and demographics were recorded and correlated with final diagnosis defined by histophatologic confirmation or an at least 1-year clinical formal follow up

Results: Of a total 58 from 51 patients [51/5029, 1.01%], 10 [19.60%] were histopathologically verified as second primary breast cancers. There was a statistically significant difference in SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV and TLG between benign and malignant group [1.64 vs. 5.32 [p=0.009], 1.34 vs. 3.69 [p=0.027], 0.96 vs. 2.62 [p=0.035], 1.54 vs 8.89 [p=0.006]. Using cut off 2, 1.35, 1.16 and 1.75, sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV and TLG were calculated as 77% and 62%, 92% and 66.5%, 77% and 75% 77% and 67%, respectively

Conclusion: Despite a significantly higher value in malignant breast incidental lesion, PET-derivative metabolic parameters provided only modest sensitivity and specificity and hence may not be considered as the sole criteria for risk stratification in this clinical setting

Evaluation of myocardial perfusion and function after kidney ? transplantation by Gated SPECT myocardial perfusion scintigraphy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of successful kidney transplantation [KT] on myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function by both qualitative [visual] interpretation and semiquantitative parameters, using myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with gated-single photon emission computed tomography [gated-SPECT] in patients suffering from end-stage renal disease. From a total of 38 patients who were candidates of KT, twenty-six patients [16 female, 10 male, mean age: 47.5 yr, range: 24-64 yr] who had successful KT were included. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy was performed by Gated Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography [Gated-SPECT] method, before and after surgery [mean: 24 months]. Perfusion and function status was evaluated by qualitative and semiquantitative parameters. Our data showed qualitative evidence of perfusion and functional abnormality in pre-transplant scans as follows: Abnormal perfusion in left anterior descending [LAD], left circumflex [LCX] and right coronary artery [RCA] territories in 42.5%, 53.8% and 65.4% of cases, respectively; dilation in 57.7% and inhomogenity of uptake in 53.8% of cases. However no statistically significant change was noted after transplantation, i.e. p value for all semiquantitative values including summed stress score [SSS], summed rest score [SRS] and summed difference score [SDS], summed motion score [SMS], summed thickening score [STS], ejection fraction [EF], end diastolic volume [EDV], end systolic volume [ESV], and stroke volume [SV] was greater than 0.05. Renal transplantation may not have considerable long term effect on myocardial perfusion and function in patients with chronic renal failure. This could be due to either non-reversible myocardial changes or continuing effect of degrading factors on the myocardium

Sentinel node mapping for early breast cancer patients using[99m]Tc-phytate: Single center experience on 165 patients

Several radiotracers are being used for sentinel node mapping in patients with breast cancer. In the current study, we reported our experience with 99m-Tc Phytate for sentinel node mapping in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All breast cancer patients who underwent sentinel node mapping using 99m-Tc Phytate were included. All patients received intradermal peri-areolar injection of 0.5 mCi/0.lcc 99m-Tc Phytate. Lymphoscintiraphy was performed for 145 patients 5-10 minutes post-injection. The sentinel nodes were found during surgery using a hand-held gamma probe as well as blue dye technique. In total 165 patients were evaluated. Lymphoscintigraphy showed axillary sentinel nodes in 135 out of 145 patients [93%] following imaging. At least one sentinel node could be detected in all these 135 patients during surgery. In the remaining 10 patients with sentinel node non-visualization, 5 had sentinel node harvesting failure during surgery. Median number of sentinel nodes on the lymphoscintigraphy images was 1. Sentinel node detection rate was 95% [157/165]. In the 8 patients with sentinel node harvesting failure, 7 had pathologically involved axilla. Median number of harvested sentinel nodes was 1. Mean sentinel node to background count ratio was 10 +/- 2. 99m-Tc Phytate is an effective and highly successful radiotracer for sentinel node mapping. Sentinel node can be visualized in a short time after 99m-Tc Phytate injection on the lymphoscintigraphy images. The sentinel to background count during surgery is high which results in more convenient sentinel node harvesting and high detection rate

Radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism

Radioiodine therapy is the safest, simplest, least expensive and most effective method for treatment of hyperthyroidism. The method employed in this research was a systematic bibliographic review, in which only valid studies or the clinically detailed enough open-labeled studies using validated scales were used. Iodine-131 [I-131] acts by the destructive effect of short-range beta radiation on thyroid cells. Indications for radioiodine therapy include toxic nodules [in which I-131 is the first choice of treatment], recurrent hyperthyroidism after antithyroid treatment or surgery, intolerance to antithyroid therapy due to side-effects and patient preference. Due to difficulties in previous methods for dose determination, fixed dose method of I-131 is now considered the best practical method for radioiodine therapy in primary hyperthyroidism. Absolute contraindications for radioiodine treatment are pregnancy and lactation. In pediatric patients, radioiodine therapy can be used, but is mainly considered in recurrent toxic goiter and when antithyroid medication is ineffective. There is no clear evidence indicative of carcinogenic or teratogenic effect of this agent

Assessment of the imact of applying attenuation correction on the accuracy of activity recovery in Tc99m-ECD brain SPECT of healthy subject using statistical parameters mapping [SPM]

Photon attenuation in tissues is the primary physical degrading factor limiting both visual qualitative interpretation and quantitative analysis capabilities of reconstructed Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography [SPECT] images. The aim or present study was to investigate the effect of attenuation correction on the detection of activation foci following statistical analysis was SPM. The study population consisted of twenty normal subjects [11 male, 9 female, and age 30-40 years]. SPECT images were reconstructed using filter back projection and attenuation correction was done by the Chang method. The SPECT imagings was obtained 20 min after intravenous injection of 740-1110 MBq [20-30 mCi] of Tc99m-ECD and were acquired on 128x128 matrices with a 20% symmetric energy window at 140 keV. These data publicly distributed by the Society of Nuclear Medicine of Toronto Hospital. the data was standardized with respect to the Montreal Neurological institute [MNI] atlas with a 12 parameter affine transformations. Images were then smoothed by a Gaussian filter of 10 mm FWHM. Significance differences between SPECT images were estimated at every voxel using statistical t-test and p-value as the significant criteria was set at 0.05. The contrast comparing non attenuation corrected images suggest that regional brain perfusion activity increase in the cerebrum, frontal [T-value 12.06], temporal [T-value 10.63] and occipital [T-value 9.31] lobe and decrease in the sub-lobar, extra-nuclear [T-value 17.46] and limbic lobe, posterior cingulated [T-value 17.46] before attenuation correction compare with attenuation correction. It can be concluded that applying correction in brain SPECT can effectively improve the accuracy of the detection of activation are [p<0.05]