Scintigraphic gallbladder visualization with gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis.

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy evaluates the biliary clearance of Tc-99m-labeled iminodiacetic acid agents (Tc-99m IDA) and has a high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. False-negative studies are extremely rare. We describe an apparently normal nonmorphine-augmented hepatobiliary study in gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis.

Incidental detection of bilateral elastofibroma dorsi with F-18 FDG PET/CT.

An 83-year-old asymptomatic woman with a history of breast cancer treated with resection, radiation, and chemotherapy was studied with F-18 FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for staging purposes. The whole-body F-18 FDG PET/CT images revealed poorly circumscribed, bilateral soft tissue masses between the inferior tips of the scapulae and chest wall with a moderate degree of F-18 FDG accumulation. The maximum standardized uptake values were 2.

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-positive benign adrenal cortical adenoma: imaging features and pathologic correlation.

Accurate characterization of adrenal lesions in lung cancer is essential in the staging of the disease. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging as well as fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging are used to differentiate adrenal metastases from benign adenomas. Although FDG-PET is highly accurate in this regard, benign adrenal cortical adenomas have been shown to accumulate FDG, although to a lesser degree.

Protection against ischemia: a physiological function of the renin-angiotensin system.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in a complex mechanism that serves to preserve the blood supply to organs so that they can maintain cellular function. Angiotensin II exerts this effect, independently of the blood pressure generated, through two time-related events: a fast opening of the reserve collateral circulation and a much slower response of new vessel formation or angiogenesis. This effect is observed in rats with ligation of the abdominal aorta and in gerbils with abrupt or progressive unilateral carotid artery ligation.

Indium-111 capromab pendetide (ProstaScint) uptake in neurofibromatosis.

We report on the demonstration of nonspecific accumulation of indium-111 capromab pendetide (ProstaScint) in neurofibromas in a patient with a rising prostate-specific antigen level after prostatectomy. Although the immunoconjugate is targeted to a specific membrane antigen present in human prostate carcinoma, nonspecific uptake can occur in other entities. Indium-111 capromab pendetide scintigraphy is a valuable diagnostic tool that should always be interpreted within the context of the clinical history and the laboratory and radiologic findings to avoid misinterpretation.

Value of scintigraphy in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients.

Background: A variety of factors can adversely impact chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) as an effective renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. These factors include peritonitis, poor clearances, loss of ultrafiltration, and a variety of anatomic problems, such as hernias, peritoneal fluid leaks, loculations, and catheter-related problems caused by omental blockage. This study reviews our experience with peritoneal scintigraphy for the evaluation of some of these difficulties.

Pleural effusions: patterns on ventilation-perfusion lung scans.

Perfusion and ventilation abnormalities created by pleural effusions can interfere with the interpretation of the lung scan. This retrospective study identified and evaluated the specificity of scintigraphic patterns for pleural effusion. Ninety-two ventilation-perfusion lung scans were analyzed for the following signs of pleural effusion: presence of fissures, straightened or concave lung borders, costophrenic angle blunting, and attenuation of lung activity by interposed fluid.

Compartmental analysis of the complete dynamic scan data for scintigraphic determination of effective renal plasma flow.

Unlabelled: We have developed an image-based compartmental analysis for estimating effective renal plasma flow (ERPF in units of milliliters per minute) from the full time-activity curves of regions of interest (ROI) placed over the heart, kidneys and bladder.

Methods: Kidney or time-activity curves are corrected for physical attenuation using estimates of kidney depth derived from patient height and weight. Estimates of the calibration factors, Kp and Kb (mCl/counts/sec), for the plasma and bladder time-activity curves are determined by applying the following ROI analysis to each frame of the dynamic scan: (Kp)Pc(t) + (Kb)Bc(t) = Di - Rq(t), where P c(t) and Bc(t) represent the counting rates measured in ROI placed over the left ventricle blood pool and bladder at time t; Di is the known total injected dose, and Rq(t) represents the millicurie of tracer in the kidneys at time t.

Gallium scans in the management of patients with Hodgkin's disease: a study of 101 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the utility of periodic gallium (67Ga) scans in the management of patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Patients And Methods: From 1990 to 1994, 101 patients treated for Hodgkin's disease (stage I to II, n = 67; stage III to IV, n = 34) had a positive 67Ga scan at the time of diagnosis. Treatment included chemotherapy in 27 patients, radiation therapy in 28, and combined modality therapy in 46.

Pin-hole collimator, parallax, and the localization of mediastinal parathyroid adenoma.

A parathyroid adenoma was wrongly localized by pinhole Tc-99m sestamibl scintigraphy to the anterior mediastinum near a lower pole of the thyroid gland. After a failed surgical attempt to resect the adenoma, the patient was re-imaged with a parallel-hole collimator and SPECT. The adenoma was found to be near the heart, anterior to the carina.

Assessment of the rate of uptake-plasma volume product to calculate glomerular filtration rate [corrected].

Unlabelled: To further validate the rate of renal uptake of the 99mTc-DTPA-plasma volume product (RUPV) method to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR), 104 determinations were performed and compared to blood sample of GFR assays. The interassay consistency was also studied in 42 patients.

Methods: The studies were performed with 370-550 MBq (10-15 mCi) of 99mTc-DTPA and a gamma camera.

Angiotensin AT2 receptor stimulation increases survival in gerbils with abrupt unilateral carotid ligation.

Previous studies showed that angiotensin II (AII) infusion increased survival in gerbils subjected to abrupt unilateral carotid ligation. Recently, stimulation of the AII AT2 receptor, reportedly effectively extended the blood pressure (BP) range of cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation. We evaluated the survival of gerbils treated with PD-123319, a ligand of AT2 receptors, to test the hypothesis that restoration of BF to ischemic cerebral tissue produced by AII is mediated through AT2 receptors.

Gallium scans in patients with mediastinal Hodgkin's disease treated with chemotherapy.

Purpose: To determine the predictive value of gallium scans in patients with mediastinal Hodgkin's disease treated with chemotherapy or combined modality treatment.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study was performed of 48 patients with mediastinal Hodgkin's disease treated with chemotherapy or combined modality therapy. Patients were monitored with whole-body planar scans (34 patients) or chest single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) plus planar abdominal imaging studies (14 patients).

The technetium-99m-DTPA renal uptake-plasma volume product: a quantitative estimation of glomerular filtration rate.

An image-based method for estimating quantitative renal glomerular filtration rates (GFR) by calculating the product of the renal uptake rate and plasma volume is presented. By using the relationship GFR = F.PV/t, F represents renal 99mTc-DTPA uptake after bolus injection, PV is the plasma volume and t is time.

Incidental demonstration of pericardial fistula during hepatobiliary scintigraphy.

Biliary vomiting developed 16 mo after resection of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus in a patient with a complex postoperative course. A biliary scan revealed an outline of the pericardium, suggesting a fistula. The potential role of radionuclide imaging in this rare and potentially fatal complication is discussed.