sodium-pertechnetate-tc-99m and Parathyroid-Diseases

Nuclear medicine plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid and parathyroid disorders. Basic nuclear medicine in the diagnosis of thyroid and parathyroid disorders and our clinical study on 131I treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer are described. Characteristics of thyroid, parathyroid, tumor scans and typical bone scintigrams in hyperparathyroidism are presented. Combined 99mTc-MIBI/99mTc-HSA-D SPECT imaging clearly demonstrated localization of ectopic parathyroid adenoma. Very interesting uncommon three cases of thyroid cancer are presented. 99mTcO4- thyroid scan in the first patient demonstrated intense tracer uptake in the lymph node metastasis from papillary microcancer. Post-therapy 131I scan following total thyroidectomy visualized multiple pulmonary metastases. The second patient with metastatic follicular cancer developed thyrotoxicosis with high TSH receptor antibodies. Post-therapy 131I total body scan in the third patient with papillary cancer demonstrated large skull metastasis. Cardiac blood pool and large blood vessel visualization was also clearly seen at this time.

Topics: Adult; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Iodine Radioisotopes; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; Thyroid Diseases; Thyroid Gland; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Scintigraphy of the parathyroid glands continues to be controversial from several standpoints, including radiopharmaceutical choice, imaging protocol, results, and utility in clinical situations. This article reviews: the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the parathyroid glands; mechanisms of radiopharmaceutical localization; commonly accepted imaging protocols; image results; and the appropriate use of parathyroid scintigraphy.

Topics: Humans; Image Enhancement; Iodine Radioisotopes; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; Thallium Radioisotopes

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic efficacy and the clinical impact of scintigraphy combined with ultrasonography (USG) in the management of thyroid and parathyroid disorders in a large series of patients.. A total of 387 consecutive patients referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of Hacettepe University in the period from January to September 2007 for investigating a thyroid (N. 339 patients: 232 females and 107 males, mean age+/-SD=48.9+/-13.6 years) or a parathyroid disease (N. 48 patients: 34 females and 14 males, mean age+/-SD=47.4+/-9.6 years) were prospectively evaluated, systematically performing both scintigraphy and USG in a single-day session. All the examinations were independently reviewed by two nuclear medicine physicians; in cases of discrepancy (3%) a final diagnosis was reached by consensus. For thyroid pathologies, USG results were considered to provide additional diagnostic information over scintigraphy: 1) if more nodules were identified; 2) if an irregular hyperactive area at scintigraphy suspicious for the presence of a nodule was clearly characterized at USG; 3) if a nodule missed at scintigraphy because of small size (<1 cm) was well depicted at USG, thus allowing an USG-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to reach a final diagnosis. For parathyroid pathologies, USG was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over scintigraphy if a low intensity radiotracer retention from the parathyroid suspected of being a parathyroid enlargement was clearly depicted at USG. In thyroid diseases, scintigraphy was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over USG, if the functional status of a diffuse or uni- or multi-nodular goiter were clearly defined at scintigraphy. In parathyroid diseases, scintigraphy was considered to provide additional diagnostic information over USG, if the differential diagnosis between a lymph node or a muscle or a vessel depicted at USG was clearly defined as a parathyroid enlargement at scintigraphy. Lastly, the clinical impact of the single-day combined scintigraphic/USG protocol was evaluated.. USG. In the thyroid diseases group, USG was particularly useful: 1) to detect additional nodules in glands with suppressed thyroid tissue; 2) to disclose small thyroid nodules (<1 cm) in which it was possible to perform a USG-FNAC. In the parathyroid diseases group, USG was particularly useful for the detection of parathyroid enlargements not visualized at scintigraphy because characterized by a rapid wash-out of the radiotracer and thus by a low radioactivity intensity in the delayed scintigraphic images. Scintigraphy. In the thyroid diseases group, scintigraphy was particularly useful: 1) to diagnose a diffuse hyperfunctioning thyroid gland, and to differentiate in multinodular goiters the hyper- from the hypo-functioning nodules. In the hyperparathyroid diseases group, scintigraphy was particular useful in making a differential diagnosis between a true parathyroid enlargement vs. a lymph node or a muscle or a vessel as depicted at USG, and in cases with deeply or ectopically-positioned parathyroid glands. Combined imaging approach. Combined interpretation provided additional benefit in 225 of 339 patients (64.4%). Overall, using the combined scintigraphic/USG single-day protocol, in the thyroid diseases group the therapeutic strategy (drug therapy vs radioiodine therapy vs surgery) was changed in 176/225 patients (78.2%, P<0.001 by chi(2) of Pearson), and in the parathyroid disease group the therapeutic strategy (medical therapy vs surgery) was changed in 18/48 patients (37.5%, P<0.01 by chi2 test of Pearson).. In agreement with some previous published experiences, the combined single-day scintigraphic/USG protocol systematically adopted in a large series of consecutive patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases, enrolled in a limited period of time, proved to significantly increase the global diagnostic accuracy and to change the therapeutic strategy in more than two third of patients with a thyroid disease and in more than one third of patients with a parathyroid disease.

Topics: Adult; Biopsy, Fine-Needle; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Radiopharmaceuticals; Reproducibility of Results; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; Thyroid Diseases; Thyroid Gland; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Ultrasonography

Although bilateral exploration is highly effective in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism, minimally invasive parathyroidectomy has evolved into the procedure of choice when a single parathyroid lesion can be localized preoperatively. In this article, we discuss the utilization of thallium-pertechnetate subtraction scanning (TPSS) after technetium Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy failed to localize an ectopic parathyroid adenoma. Subsequently, radioguided resection of an undescended parathyroid adenoma inferior to the left submandibular gland was performed with surgical cure after a single procedure. This case report illustrates the importance of TPSS as a second-line modality in preoperative adenoma localization, thereby using minimally invasive techniques to successfully treat this patient's primary hyperparathyroidism.

Topics: Choristoma; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism; Middle Aged; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroidectomy; Preoperative Care; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Subtraction Technique; Thallium; Treatment Outcome

Enlarged cystic parathyroid glands, whether hyperfunctioning or nonfunctioning, are rare and their accurate preoperative diagnosis is a difficult task. The authors report two cases of patients with cystic neck masses studied by Tl-201-Tc-99m pertechnetate subtraction scintigraphy, computerized tomography, and ultrasonography. The diagnostic consensus of preoperative studies was that these lesions were thyroid nodules or parathyroid adenomas. Surgical removal and histopathologic examination of these masses revealed a cystic parathyroid gland and a cystic parathyroid adenoma, respectively. When a fluid-filled lesion in the neck deep to the lower pole of the thyroid gland is encountered, the possibility of a parathyroid cyst should be considered so that further diagnostic tests can be properly performed.

Topics: Adenoma; Adult; Aged; Cysts; Diagnostic Imaging; Female; Humans; Male; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Thallium Radioisotopes; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Double tracer scanning of the neck after injection of thallium-210 and technetium pertechnetate was performed upon 33 patients with biochemically proved hyperparathyroidism operated upon during the past 14 months. Operative findings were correlated with the scans. Twenty-two of 29 single lesions of the parathyroid gland were successfully localized. There were ten unsuccessful studies, including three instances in which diffuse hyperplasia was incompletely identified. In one instance of diffuse hyperplasia, the bilateral pathologic finding was diagnosed correctly. Two of three substernal lesions were demonstrated in patients who had undergone previous unsuccessful explorations. An additional substernal lesion was localized in a patient prior to initial exploration. Nineteen of 21 lesions weighing more than 300 milligrams were identified, whereas only 50 per cent of the lesions weighing less than 300 milligrams could be seen. The scans demonstrated 12 of 14 lesions with C-terminal parathyroid hormone levels of more than 900 picograms per milliliter but only 60 per cent of the lesions that produced levels of less than 900 picograms per milliliter. Thallium-technetium scanning is a useful procedure for preoperative localization of parathyroid lesions and may preclude the need for more invasive testing in previously operated upon patients.

Topics: Aged; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Preoperative Care; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Subtraction Technique; Thallium

Two cases of mediastinal localization of parathyroid adenoma are presented, in which technetium-thallium subtraction scintigraphy yielded a positive result. Both patients had already undergone a negative surgical neck exploration. We suggest that, in case of negative subtraction scintigraphy and negative surgical exploration in proven primary hyperparathyroidism, subtraction scintigraphy should be repeated with emphasis on the superior mediastinum, and in all cases, the use of a non-zoom, large field of few procedure is recommended for technetium-thallium subtraction scintigraphy.

Topics: Adenoma; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Technetium; Thallium Radioisotopes

A case of a parathyroid cyst with adenoma was seen on Tl-201/Tc-99m subtraction imaging. The literature regarding parathyroid cysts and the subtraction technique for parathyroid adenoma imaging was reviewed.

Topics: Adenoma; Cysts; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Thallium

During the period from July 1983 through October 1984, a group of 38 patients with elevated serum calcium, parathormone (PTH) and/or clinical suspicion of hyperparathyroidism were studied by TI-201 Tc-99m dual tracer parathyroid imaging (DTPI). Seventeen of 18 parathyroid lesions were identified correctly. There was one false-negative, and the size of the adenoma missed by DTPI was less than 1.0 cm in diameter (1.0 x 0.5 x 0.2). There was one true-negative case. The other fifteen with negative scans are being followed clinically. Because of the small population studied, statistical analysis was not ascertained. However, this simple, noninvasive procedure has become a very useful diagnostic tool for the detection and localization of parathyroid lesions causing hyperparathyroidism, and the DTPI should be used in conjunction with ultrasonography and CT scanning in the preoperative evaluation in primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Topics: Adenoma; Humans; Hyperplasia; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Thallium

An evaluation of double isotope subtraction scanning with 201Tl and 99mTc was performed in 14 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Twelve of 13 adenomas and seven of seven hyperplastic glands were localized correctly by preoperative scanning. The technique appears useful for the identification of abnormal parathyroid glands before operation.

Topics: Adenoma; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Computers; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary; Hyperplasia; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Diseases; Parathyroid Glands; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Thallium