A long-term follow-up study of survival in stage I (T1N0M0) and stage II (T1N1M0) breast carcinoma.

This study was undertaken to investigate the long-term survival and the probability of "cure" in a group of 644 patients treated by mastectomy for T1 breast carcinoma. After a median follow-up of 18.2 years, 23% were dead of recurrent breast carcinoma, 3% were alive with recurrent disease, and 74% had not experienced a recurrence. The probability of recurrence was directly related to the initial extent of the disease. Overall, 16% of recurrences and 25% of deaths due to disease occurred in the second decade of follow-up. The proportion of recurrences detected in the second decade was inversely related to the stage of the primary tumor at diagnosis. When stratified by tumor size, T1N0M0 patients with tumors 1.0 cm or less in diameter had a significantly better 20-year recurrence-free survival (86%) than did T1N0M0 patients with tumors 1.1 to 2.0 cm (69%). When observed and expected survival curves were compared by the method of Brinkley and Haybittle, it appeared that 80% of T1N0M0 patients with tumors 1 cm or less might be cured at 20 years, whereas for those in the 1.1- to 2-cm group, the proportion cured was indeterminate, but might be as high as 70%. A potentially cured group could not be identified among T1N1M0 patients, but an estimated 52% of these patients did not have a recurrence within the nearly 20-year follow-up period. These data are important when one considers the proper role of adjuvant therapy for stage I disease. Patients with tumors larger than 1 cm and those with axillary lymph node metastases may have an improved recurrence-free survival as a result of systemic adjuvant treatment, while women in the T1N0M0 group with an especially favorable recurrence-free survival, particularly those with tumors 1 cm in diameter or smaller, might be spared adjuvant therapy.

Estimating the plasma time-activity curve during radionuclide renography.

Quantitative analysis of the radionuclide renogram requires an estimate of the plasma time-activity curve. This estimate is usually obtained from an externally detected blood-pool curve that is calibrated with a single plasma sample. However, external probes detect activity in the extravascular as well as the intravascular space. This may lead to significant errors in estimating the plasma time-activity curve. A method for overcoming this problem by using a continuously varying calibration factor based upon multiple plasma samples was therefore evaluated. Externally detected blood-pool curves were used to estimate the plasma time-activity curves obtained from rabbits during radionuclide renography. Estimates obtained using the externally detected curves calibrated with a constant calibration factor were found to be significantly biased, while estimates obtained using the externally detected curves calibrated with the continuously varying calibration factor were not.

Pectus excavatum in children: pulmonary scintigraphy before and after corrective surgery.

Regional distribution of pulmonary function was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively with xenon-133 perfusion and ventilation scintigraphy in 17 patients with pectus excavatum. Ventilatory preoperative studies were abnormal in 12 of 17 patients, resolving in seven of 12 postoperatively. Perfusion scans were abnormal in ten of 17 patients preoperatively; six of ten showed improvement postoperatively. Ventilation-perfusion ratios were abnormal in ten of 17 patients, normalizing postoperatively in six of ten. Symmetry of ventilation-perfusion ratio images improved in six out of nine in the latter group. The distribution of regional lung function in pectus excavatum can be evaluated preoperatively to support indications for surgery. Postoperative improvement can be documented by physiological changes produced by the surgical correction.

Thyroid uptake and imaging with iodine-123 at 4-5 hours: replacement of the 24-hour iodine-131 standard.

A study was carried out to determine the suitability of utilizing a 4 to 5 hr interval from administration of iodine-123 to imaging and uptake measurement as a replacement for the 24-hr standard originally established with iodine-131. In 55 patients who underwent scintigraphy at 4 and 24 hr, there was no discrepancy between paired images. In 55 patients who had uptake measured at 4 and 24 hr and in 191 patients who had uptake measured at 5 and 24 hr, the early measurements proved equal or better discriminants of euthyroid from hyperthyroid patients. In our institutions, these findings and the logistical advantages of completing the exam in 4-5 hr led us to abandon the 24-hr study in the majority of patients.

Hypertension in children. Increased efficacy of technetium Tc 99m succimer in screening for renal disease.

Renal scintigraphy with technetium Tc 99m succimer (DMSA) and technetium Tc 99m pentetate (DTPA) was used to study 80 hypertensive pediatric and adolescent patients. Renal abnormalities such as asymmetry of function, size, or shape were identified in 13 patients. Both excretory urography and technetium Tc 99m pentetate studies were successful in detecting 54% of the abnormalities in patients studied; technetium Tc 99m succimer identified 92%. The accuracy of the latter was 96%, with a specificity of 97%. The ability of technetium Tc 99m succimer renal scintigraphy to identify accurately the presence or absence of renal abnormalities warrants its inclusion in the initial examination of pediatric and adolescent patients with hypertension.

Prostatic uptake of Ga-67.

Midline activity low in the pelvis seen on Ga-67 scans is frequently attributed to colonic excretion of radionuclide. We have seen two cases of infectious prostatitis with focal uptake of Ga-67 within the prostate gland. We describe a technique of using limited quantities of barium administered by enema and appropriate positional imaging, which localizes pelvic activity to the prostate.

The relationship of gastroesophageal reflux and gastric emptying in infants and children: concise communication.

One hundred twenty-six pediatric patients (0-16 yr of age) with clinically suspected gastroesophageal reflux (GER) were evaluated using radionuclide scintigraphy. Although 46 of the patients (38.3%) had abnormal studies exhibiting evidence of GER, there were no significant differences in gastric emptying between patients with and without GER. At 60 min after ingestion, the 76 patients less than 2 yr old had a mean residual of 54%, whereas those over 2 yr of age had a value of 29% (P less than 0.0001). Gastric emptying values may be age-related.

Bone scintigraphy in the initial staging of patients with renal-cell carcinoma: concise communication.

We reviewed the records of 40 consecutive patients who received bone scintigraphy in conjunction with the initial evaluation and staging of renal-cell carcinoma, to determine the role of bone imaging in this clinical context. Bone scintigrams were positive in three out of 40 patients at the time of diagnosis. In view of the low yield of bone imaging, it appears that routine scintigraphy is unwarranted in the absence of skeletal symptoms before the diagnosis of renal lesions. The presence of a positive bone image did not alter the indication for nephrectomy.

Salivary scan after major ablative head and neck surgery with prediction of postoperative fistulization.

Patients with carcinoma of the head and neck undergoing major ablative and reconstructive procedures following periods of prolonged debilitation, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy have been identified as having a high risk for postoperative wound complication, most often infection. Does postoperative wound infection arise de novo, does infection result from failure of prophylactic antibiotic coverage, or is it the result of anastomatic salivary leak? To investigate the incidence of unrecognized salivary leak into the neck, 24 patients underwent salivary radioisotope studies using technetium 99m sodium pertechnetate from three to six days postoperatively. The isotope was administered early in the morning with drainage bags empty. Patients and the collection system were scanned for activity between four and six hours later. Nine patients had postoperative evidence of salivary secretion radioactivity in their drainage system. All of these patients developed transient wound infections or fistulas. The remaining 15 had no uptake in their collection systems and no wound complications. We suggest that the preliminary results from this noninvasive, simply administered study indicate that the infected surgical neck wound may be secondary to unrecognized postoperative salivary contamination. This technique can be used to provide early identification of potential wound infection. Alternatively, information generated by this kind of study may be valuable in predicting patients with the highest risk for postoperative infection, thereby offering guidelines for the use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis.

99mTc-PIPIDA cholescintigraphy in the diagnosis of gallbladder disease.

The efficacy of 99mTc cholescintigraphy in the diagnosis of gallbladder disease was studied in 116 patients. Sixty-one demonstrated gallbladder visualization (normal) and 55 had nonvisualization. In patients with acute abdominal pain, test sensitivity is 100%, specificity is 77%, and accuracy is 83% for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis; no patient with gallbladder visualization had acute cholecystitis. Test sensitivity for any form of gallbladder disease is 66%, specificity is 82%, and accuracy is 71%; excluding patients with laboratory evidence of hepatobiliary disease, the predictability of acute or chronic cholecystitis increases to 100%. Cholescintigraphy demonstrated common bile duct patency in all eight post-cholecystectomy patients referred for evaluation of possible choledocholithiasis. Thus, gallbladder visualization with 99mTc-PIPIDA virtually excludes the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, an abnormal test is a good predictor of gallbladder disease because of high specificity, and cholescintigraphy is extremely safe and simple to perform and may be used to demonstrate common bile duct patency.

Early scintographic diagnosis of bone stress and fractures in athletic adolescents.

A study of radionuclide bone scintigraphy in adolescents was conducted to evaluate the pattern of stress-related abnormalities and their correlation with both symptoms and roentgenography. In 26 episodes of stress-related abnormal scintigraphy, 12 (46%) had a multifocal pattern of abnormalities. Forty foci were identified by scintigraphy, with 11 (28%) exhibiting abnormal roentgenograms. These multiple abnormalities were frequently unsuspected clinically, and studies limited to symptomatic areas would have failed to detect them. It is recommended that patients with stress-related symptoms be screened utilizing radionuclide bone scintigraphy to facilitate the early detection of abnormalities in bone prior to the development of cortical disruption, thereby preventing increased morbidity and possible disabling sequelae.

Predicting splenic abnormality in Hodgkin disease using volume response to epinephrine administration.

The change in relative splenic volume following epinephrine administration was used to determine splenic abnormality noninvasively. Selective splenic imaging was accomplished with 99mTc-labeled heat-treated red blood cells, an LFOV gamma camera, a 30 degrees bilateral rotating slant hole collimator, and bilateral slant hole tomographic software. Relative splenic volumes were plotted over time, and correlated with clinical and histologic data. Eight patients with Hodgkin disease and other lymphomas were examined. Volume response to epinephrine appears to be significantly less in abnormal spleens, and may serve to identify patients with unequivocally normal spleens prior to treatment.

Hepatic benign vascular tumor in infancy: correlative imaging.

The use of multiple imaging modalities to diagnose hepatic hemangioendothelioma in a neonate is demonstrated. This approach avoided operative intervention to establish the diagnosis. Tc-99m sulfur colloid and Tc-99m PIPIDA scintigraphy was used to define the nature of sonographic hypoechoic structures in the liver, and angiography was employed to confirm the suspected diagnosis.

Cholescintigraphy: gallbladder nonvisualization secondary to neoplasm.

Whereas the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis is characterized by nonvisualization of the gallbladder with Tc-99m iminodiacetic acid derivatives, nonvisualization is not specific for acute cholecystitis. The first reported case of nonvisualization of the gallbladder due to neoplasm is added to an expanding list of causes of nonvisualization other than the more frequent causes: acute and chronic cholecystitis.