Comparison of 99mTc-MDP SPECT qualitative vs quantitative results in patients with suspected condylar hyperplasia. / Comparación de resultados cualitativos vs. cuantitativos de 99mTc-MDP SPECT en pacientes con sospecha clínica de hiperplasia condilar.

OBJECTIVE: To compare qualitative vs quantitative results of Single Photon Emission Computerised Tomography (SPECT), calculated from percentage of 99mTc-MDP (methylene diphosphonate) uptake, in condyles of patients with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of condylar hyperplasia. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted on the 99mTc-MDP SPECT bone scintigraphy reports from 51 patients, with clinical impression of facial asymmetry related to condylar hyperplasia referred by their specialist in orthodontics or maxillofacial surgery, to a nuclear medicine department in order to take this type of test. Quantitative data from 99mTc-MDP condylar uptake of each were obtained and compared with qualitative image interpretation reported by a nuclear medicine expert. RESULTS: The concordances between the 51 qualitative and quantitative reports results was established. The total sample included 32 women (63%) and 19 men (37%). The patient age range was 13-45 years (21±8 years). According to qualitative reports, 19 patients were positive for right side condylar hyperplasia, 12 for left side condylar hyperplasia, with 8 bilateral, and 12 negative. The quantitative reports diagnosed 16 positives for right side condylar hyperplasia, 10 for left side condylar hyperplasia, and 25 negatives. CONCLUSIONS: Nuclear medicine images are an important diagnostic tool, but the qualitative interpretation of the images is not as reliable as the quantitative calculation. The agreement between the two types of report is low (39.2%, Kappa=0.13; P>.2). The main limitation of quantitative reports is that they do not register bilateral condylar hyperplasia cases.

201Tl myocardial SPECT detects significant coronary artery disease between 50% and 75% angiogram stenosis.

UNLABELLED: Coronary angiography is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this work was to compare 201Thallium SPECT with different coronary angiographic cutoff values. METHODS: Data pertaining to 145 patients were tabulated. All patients underwent stress ECG, 201Thallium SPECT and coronary angiography. To assess the cutoff impact, two criteria for coronary angiography diagnosis were used: a) > or = 50% and b) > or = 75% stenosis, and applied to data from patients and vessels. RESULTS: On a patient basis, 201Thallium SPECT sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 87%, 57% and 81% with > or = 50% cutoff and 93%, 51% and 79% with > or = 75% cutoff, respectively (NS). When performing individual vessel analysis, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 59%, 78% and 68% for > or = 50% cutoff and 70%, 75% and 74% for > or = 75% cutoff, respectively (p < 0.029 for sensitivity). As expected, the severer the stenosis the higher the detection rate. There were 19 patients who had stenosis between 50% and 74%. Of these, 21% had abnormal stress ECG and 58% abnormal Thallium-201 SPECT. CONCLUSION: 201Thallium SPECT results support the use of > or = 50% stenosis cutoff criteria for CAD diagnosis and evaluation. Combined with coronary angiography, myocardial SPECT offers an excellent management strategy to patients.

201Tl myocardial SPECT detects significant coronary artery disease between 50 % and 75 % angiogram stenosis

La angiografía coronaria es el estándar de oro para diagnosticar enfermedad coronaria. El objetivo de este trabajo fue comparar los resultados del SPECT con Talio 201 con los diversos valores de estenosis coronaria a la angiografía. Métodos: Se tabularon resultados de 145 pacientes. A todos ellos se les realizó una prueba de esfuerzo, SPECT de perfusión miocárdica con Talio 201 y angiografía coronaria. Para hacer la valoración se utilizaron 2 criterios angiográficos para estenosis coronaria: a) >= 50 % b) >= 75 %, los que se aplicaron a los pacientes y vasos coronarios estudiados por individual. Resultados: En una evaluación individual por paciente la sensibilidad (S), especificidad (E) y exactitud (Ex) fue de 87 %, 57 % y 81 % con criterio de estenosis de >= 50 % y de 93 %, 51 % y 79 % usando criterio de >= 75 %, respectivamente (NS). Al analizar los vasos individualmente la S, E y Ex fue de 59 %, 78 % y 68 % para criterio >= 50 % y 70 %, 75 % y 74 % para criterio >= 75 % (p < 0,029 para S). Como era esperado a mayor severidad de estenosis, mayor incidencia de detección. Hubo 19 pacientes que presentaron estenosis entre 50 y 74 %. De ellos 21 % presentó prueba de esfuerzo anormal y 58 % SPECT de perfusión miocárdica anormal. Conclusión: Los resultados con el estudio de perfusión miocárdica con Talio 201 avalan el uso del valor de 50 % o más de estenosis en el diagnóstico y evaluación de enfermedad coronaria. En conjunto con la angiografía coronaria el SPECT miocárdico ofrece una excelente estrategia para el manejo de los pacientes

Coronary angiography is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this work was to compare 201Thallium SPECT with different coronary angiographic cutoff values. Methods: Data pertaining to 145 patients were tabulated. All patients underwent stress ECG, 201Thallium SPECT and coronary angiography. To assess the cutoff impact, two criteria for coronary angiography diagnosis were used: a) >= 50 % and b) >= 75 % stenosis, and applied to data from patients and vessels. Results: On a patient basis, 201Thallium SPECT sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 87 %, 57 % and 81 % with >= 50 % cutoff and 93 %, 51 % and 79 % with >= 75 % cutoff, respectively (NS). When performing individual vessel analysis, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 59 %, 78 % and 68 % for >= 50 % cutoff and 70 %, 75 % and 74 % for >= 75 % cutoff, respectively (p = 50 % stenosis cutoff criteria for CAD diagnosis and evaluation. Combined with coronary angiography, myocardial SPECT offers an excellent management strategy to patients

Concordancia interobservadores en la interpretación en forma ciega de cintigrafía de ventilación perfusión en pacientes con sospecha clínica de tromboembolismo pulmonar / Interobserver concordance in the interpretation of ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy in patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism

La pesquisa adecuada del tromboembolismo pulmonar (TEP) tiene importancia en el manejo terapéutico y en el pronóstico de los pacientes. El cintigrama de ventilación y perfusión (VQ) es un método bien establecido en la evaluación de esta patología. La concordancia interobservador puede ser bastante variable y debieran minimizarse las discordancias dentro de un mismo grupo. Objetivo: Conocer la concordancia entre observadores formados en nuestro centro y correlacionarlos con el informe oficial emitido con los antecedentes clínicos y radiológicos. Método: Se analizaron retrospectivamente 401 estudios de 382 pacientes con sospecha de TEP de diferente probabilidad clínica, informados por 6 observadores independientes con distinta experiencia. Se realizó lectura en forma ciega informando como alta, baja o intermedia probabilidad de TEP, basado en la experiencia individual y en criterios PIOPED modificados. Se aplicó kappa ponderado. Resultados: En los informes existió 27.2 por ciento de alta probabilidad de TEP, 5.5 por ciento fueron intermedia o indeterminada y 67.3 por ciento de baja probabilidad, casi normal o normal. La concordancia entre los observadores varió entre 72.6 y 86 por ciento con variación de índice kappa entre 0.582 y 0.743. La correlación con el informe emitido varió entre 74.3 y 81.8 por ciento y (k: 0.582 y 0.675). Hubo mayor concordancia entre los observadores con mayor experiencia. Conclusión: En nuestro centro existe una excelente concordancia interobservador con buenos índices kappa en la interpretación ciega de los VQ solicitados por TEP. Este ejercicio además, sirvió como entrenamiento práctico para los residentes del centro.

Peritoneal vascular reserve characterization through nitroprusside-induced modification of peritoneal mass transfer coefficients.

The transport of solutes across the peritoneum may be increased by the topical administration of nitroprusside; the effects of the drug seem to be due to an increase in the number of perfused capillaries and/or in their permeability. We have compared the peritoneal mass transfer coefficients (MTC) for urea, creatinine and parathormone (PTH) under basal conditions and after administration of nitroprusside (4.5 mg/l dialysate) in 15 patients under CAPD therapy. The mean increments of the MTC were 48.8% for urea, 77.5% for creatinine and 323% for PTH. The relative MTC increments for the three molecules (taken in pairs) were: MTCPTH/urea' 2.53 times (mean), MTCPTH/creatinine' 1.7 times, and MTCcreatinine/urea' 0.73-times, with very variable ranges. The overall mean increment (OMI) for all three ratios ranged from -1.25 and +6 times. In six patients, some of the relative increments (and in three of them the OMI) were negative but the epidemiological features of these patients revealed no clear data. The OMI shows a direct correlation with the body surface area and an inverse correlation with the the duration of CAPD and ESRD and with the number of peritonitis episodes, albeit without statistical significance. We conclude that the peritoneal vascular reserve has individual characteristics, and that perhaps the OMI or some other similar index might serve to quantify and characterise it, if our findings are confirmed.