Colon carcinoma metastatic to the thyroid gland.

Metastatic carcinoma to the thyroid gland rarely is encountered in clinical practice; however, autopsy series have shown that it is not a rare occurrence. A case of adenocarcinoma of the colon with metastases to the thyroid is reported. A review of the literature reveals that melanoma, breast, renal, and lung carcinomas are the most frequent tumors to metastasize to the thyroid. Metastatic disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cold nodules on radionuclide thyroid scans, particularly in patients with a known primary.

Uptake of Tc-99m-PIPIDA in pulmonary metastases from a hepatoma.

Metastatic pulmonary nodules from a well-differentiated hepatoma were well demonstrated by a Tc-99m-labeled hepatobiliary imaging agent. Uptake of this type of radionuclide by metastases from a primary hepatic malignancy has not previously been reported. Such radiopharmaceuticals may prove useful in the future as imaging agents for primary hepatobiliary tumors.

Metastatic abdominal implants of endometrial carcinoma demonstrated on 99mtc-methylene diphosphonate bone scan.

Metastatic serosal and omental implants from a primary papillary endometrial carcinoma were well demonstrated by radionuclide uptake on a bone scan utilizing 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate. Imaging of an endometrial malignancy by a 99mTc-labeled phosphate compound has not previously been reported. While the exact mechanism of accumulation in such soft-tissue neoplastic foci is not known, several possibilities have been suggested. In this particular case, the mechanism appears related in some way to the presence of dystrophic calcifications within the metastatic deposits.

67Ga-citrate scanning in gastrointestinal malignancies.

The value of 67 Ga-citrate scanning in cases of gastrointestinal malignancies is discussed. Seven cases are presented, including lymphomas of the stomach, small bowel, and rectum, and adenocarcinomas of the stomach and colon. In a review of the literature, there is general pessimism regarding the use of 67Ga scans in GI malignancies. Based on previous reports and our own experience, specific clinical situations are cited in which the scan is of considerable value for diagnosis and followup of GI malignancy.

Head and neck radioangiography.

An analysis of one year's experience at our institution with 781 cerebral radioangiograms is reported. In patients who had follow-up radioangiographic evaluation, an overall accuracy of 88% was achieved using the anterior method. Accuracy in detecting carotid occlusive lesions alone was 83%. Detection of subdural hematomas by radioangiography was exceptional. Our results correlate well with those of others in detection of cerebrovascular occlusive disease, other vascular lesions, and avascular lesions. In our experience, the extremely high yield of information and the simplicity of performing radioangiography of the head and neck justify its routine use in all cases referred for brain scanning.