ABSTRACT
Intrathoracic splenosis is a generally asymptomatic entity incidentally diagnosed after the completion of an Rx, CT scan or MRI for another reason. The performance of scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-labelled heat-denatured erythrocytes allows the noninvasive diagnosis of this entity and avoids more aggressive diagnostic techniques such as FNAP or thoracotomy. Because this splenic tissue may be partially or fully functioning and therefore may have some beneficial immune function for the patient, the management of this entity should be conservative. Radioisotopic scintigraphy with (99m)Tc labelled heat-denatured erythrocytes is the technique with the greatest specificity in the demonstration of splenic tissue. The presence of subpleural pulmonary nodules, associated or not with intra-abdominal nodules, together with the existence of previous partial or total splenectomy, traumatic or not, with or without associated rupture of the diaphragm, should raise suspicion of the presence of intrathoracic splenosis.
Subject(s)
Diaphragm/injuries , Splenic Rupture/complications , Splenosis/diagnostic imaging , Thorax/diagnostic imaging , Accidents, Traffic , Aged , Asymptomatic Diseases , Erythrocytes , Humans , Incidental Findings , Male , Radionuclide Imaging , Rupture/complications , Splenosis/etiology , Technetium , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Differentiated thyroid cancer is a disease having a very good prognosis when treated adequately. Ablation treatment with (131)I is frequently adjunct to surgery in these patients since it improves survival. Radioiodine whole-body scan is one of the imaging modality of choice in the follow-up of patients with this kind of pathology. After ablation treatment of the thyroid gland, any radioiodine accumulation in a non-physiological location usually means the presence of functioning metastasis. Recognition of potential false-positives is essential to avoid unnecessary exposure to further radiation from repeated therapeutic doses of radioactive iodine. We report a case of uptake in the chest due to bronchiectasis, potentially masquerading as pulmonary metastasis.