succimer and Insulinoma

The authors describe the possible application of Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. In consideration of the common embryonic origin of these tumors and other neoplastic diseases (medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheocromocytoma, neuroblastoma) that have been well studied with radionuclide imaging, five cases of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (two insulinomas, one vipoma, and two unclassified neuroendocrine tumors) were successfully visualized with Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy, thus giving an overall "imaging confirmation" of the histologic and/or cytologic results in terms of primary and metastatic localization. The authors point out the importance of their results, obtained in a simple and repeatable manner, and suggest a real comparison in this setting between this approach and octreotide scintigraphy.

Topics: Female; Humans; Insulinoma; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Organotechnetium Compounds; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Radionuclide Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Succimer; Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid; Vipoma