Simplified Assessment of Radioiodine Biokinetics for Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Practical Approach Using Continuous External Radiation Monitoring.

Introduction: The biokinetics of radioiodine (RAI) in thyroid cancer patients are complex. This study aims to develop a practical approach for assessing RAI biokinetics to predict patient discharge time and estimate radiation exposure to caregivers.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma undergoing RAI treatment.

The Titrated Mannitol Improved Central [Tc] Tc TRODAT-1 Uptake in an Animal Model-A Clinically Feasible Application.

[Tc]Tc TRODAT-1 is a widely used single photon emission tomography (SPECT) radiopharmaceutical in Asian practice for early detection of central dopaminergic disorders. However, its imaging quality remains sub-optimal. To overcome this problem, mannitol, an osmotic agent was used to observe its effect on improving striatal [Tc]Tc TRODAT-1 uptake in rat brain by titrated human dosages to investigate a clinically feasible way to improve human imaging quality.

Fully Automated Delineation of Gross Tumor Volume for Head and Neck Cancer on PET-CT Using Deep Learning: A Dual-Center Study.

Purpose: In this study, we proposed an automated deep learning (DL) method for head and neck cancer (HNC) gross tumor volume (GTV) contouring on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) images.

Materials And Methods: PET-CT images were collected from 22 newly diagnosed HNC patients, of whom 17 (Database 1) and 5 (Database 2) were from two centers, respectively. An oncologist and a radiologist decided the gold standard of GTV manually by consensus.

Optimizing 18F-FDG Uptake Time Before Imaging Improves the Accuracy of PET/CT in Liver Lesions.

Unlabelled: (18)F-FDG PET/CT has emerged as one of the fastest-growing imaging modalities. A shorter protocol results in a lower target-to-background ratio, which can increase the challenge of identifying mildly (18)F-FDG-avid lesions and differentiating inflammatory or physiologic activity from malignant activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the delay between radiotracer injection and imaging that optimizes target-to-background ratio while maintaining counts high enough to ensure scan sensitivity.

Liver Fibrosis Can Be Induced by High Salt Intake through Excess Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production.

High salt intake has been known to cause hypertension and other side effects. However, it is still unclear whether it also affects fibrosis in the mature or developing liver. This study demonstrates that high salt exposure in mice (4% NaCl in drinking water) and chick embryo (calculated final osmolality of the egg was 300 mosm/L) could lead to derangement of the hepatic cords and liver fibrosis using H&E, PAS, Masson, and Sirius red staining.

Yttrium-90 Infusion: Incidence and Outcome of Delivery System Occlusions during 885 Deliveries.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence, cause, and management of delivery system occlusions during yttrium-90 (90Y) microsphere infusions and to identify techniques to prevent occlusions.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 885 consecutive radioembolization deliveries during 820 procedures (some with multiple deliveries) in 503 patients (mean age, 65 y; 293 male) performed between June 2001 and July 2013 at a single academic tertiary care hospital. Occlusions were reported prospectively, and procedural details were reviewed.

Primary tumour standardised uptake value is prognostic in nonsmall cell lung cancer: a multivariate pooled analysis of individual data.

(18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (PET) complements conventional imaging for diagnosing and staging lung cancer. Two literature-based meta-analyses suggest that maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) on PET has univariate prognostic value in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analysed individual data pooled from 12 studies to assess the independent prognostic value of binary SUVmax for overall survival.

Percutaneous Cryoablation vs Partial Nephrectomy: Cost Comparison of T1a Tumors.

Purpose: To compare cost of percutaneous cryoablation vs open and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy of T1a renal masses from the hospital perspective.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively compared cost, clinical and tumor data of 37 percutaneous cryoablations to 26 open and 102 robot-assisted partial nephrectomies. Total cost was the sum of direct and indirect cost of procedural and periprocedural variables.

Prognostic Value of (18)F-FDG PET-CT in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Is Dynamic Scanning Helpful?

Objectives: To evaluate the differences in prognostic values of static and dynamic PET-CT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Material And Methods: Forty-five patients who had static scan were recruited. Sixteen had dynamic scan.

18F-FDG PET assessment of Lewy body dementia with cerebellar diaschisis.

Alzheimer disease and Lewy body dementia are the 2 most common causes of dementia. Each disease has distinctive regional metabolic reduction patterns on (18)F-FDG PET. In this report, we present a rare case of an elderly man with dementia whereby (18)F-FDG PET clearly showed Lewy body disease with crossed cerebellar diaschisis.

Time sensitivity-corrected retention index: an enhanced metabolic index from 18F-FDG PET to differentiate between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules.

The aim of the study was to evaluate pulmonary nodules (PNs) by incorporating time sensitivity (S) factor in the retention index (RI) and compare with the traditional fixed interval method. After obtaining approval from the Human Investigations Committee, 97 PNs from 81 patients (age=70±11) referred for dual-time fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET (16.1±1.

The appearance of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries on myocardial perfusion imaging.

We present a case of incidentally discovered congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA), initially seen on stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). ccTGA has a characteristic appearance on MPI, which reflects the functional alterations associated with this condition.

The use of 99mTc-MDP bone scanning to assess facial bone growth.

Bone scanning is an important technique to detect mandibular growth, and its quantitation aids in deciding the optimal timing for surgery. Here, we will discuss a case of abnormal mandibular growth and use of bone scanning to evaluate the facial bone growth.

Implications of Ambient Glucose Variation on the Target-to-Background Ratio of Hepatic Tumors By (18)FDG-PET Imaging.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of ambient glucose on quantitative analysis of hepatic tumors on 2-deoxy-2-((18)F)-fluoro-D-glucose ((18)FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and to establish a method for glucose correction.

Patients And Methods: Eighty-six patients with hepatic lesions identified on (18)FDG PET/computed tomography (CT) were analyzed. The serum glucose level (Glc) was recorded prior to imaging, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) in the hepatic tumors and the average SUV in normal liver were determined.

Complementary role of 18F-FDG PET and 123I-ioflupane SPECT in the diagnosis of Lewy body disease.

We present a case demonstrating how correlative imaging with (123)I-ioflupane SPECT and (18)F-FDG PET can be used to help make the diagnosis of Lewy body disease more specific.

Atypical Presentation of Sarcoidosis on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.

On (18)F-FDG PET, inflammatory processes can be one of the most confounding factors for interpretation, particularly when the presentation of the process is atypical, as it was in the case of sarcoidosis reported here. Clinicians should be aware that sarcoidosis may mimic lung malignancies and lymphomas, regardless of typical or atypical appearance on (18)F-FDG PET.

Revisiting morphine-augmented hepatobiliary imaging for diagnosing acute cholecystitis: the potential pitfall of high false positive rate.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy of morphine-augmented hepatobiliary imaging (MAHBI) for diagnosing acute cholecystitis (AC).

Methods: Sixty-eight patients (Male:Female = 36:32, age = 54 ± 17 years) referred for diagnosis of AC by 30-min post-morphine MAHBI after the standard 1-h imaging were recruited. Non-visualization of gallbladder on 30-min post-morphine images by visual analysis was considered positive.

Neurocysticercosis on 18F-FDG PET/MRI: co-registered Images.

This is a case of a 32-year-old female patient who presented with new onset partial complex seizures. MRI of the brain demonstrated a suspicious ring-enhancing lesion in the right temporal lobe. This finding was felt to be a primary brain malignancy or less likely an infectious process.

Detailed characterization of the early response of head-neck cancer xenografts to irradiation using (18)F-FDG-PET imaging.

Purpose: To investigate the metabolic information provided by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) during the early response of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) xenografts to radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: Low-passage HNSCC cells (UT14) were injected into the rear flanks of female nu/nu mice to generate xenografts. After tumors grew to 400-500 mm(3), they were treated with either 15 Gy in one fraction (n = 18) or sham RT (n = 12).

Dynamic PET-CT studies for characterizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma metabolism: comparison of analytical methods.

Objectives: To investigate the optimal PET protocol and analytical method to characterize the glucose metabolism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: Newly diagnosed NPC patients were recruited and a dynamic PET-CT scan was performed. The optimized threshold to derive the arterial input function (AIF) was studied.

Radiographic and metabolic response rates following image-guided stereotactic radiotherapy for lung tumors.

Purpose: To evaluate radiographic and metabolic response after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for early lung tumors.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-nine tumors were treated prospectively with SBRT (dose=48-60 Gy, 4-5 Fx). Thirty-six cases were primary NSCLC (T1N0=67%; T2N0=25%); three cases were solitary metastases.

Metabolic activity measured by F-18 FDG PET in natural killer-cell lymphoma compared to aggressive B- and T-cell lymphomas.

Purpose: We aim to compare the metabolic activity by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake across the various histologic subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in a single center, with particular interest in the natural killer (NK)-cell lymphoma subtype for which literature is scarce because of the rarity of these lymphomas in Western populations.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the FDG-avidity of pretreatment positron emission tomography-computed tomography scans of 117 consecutive NHL patients by measuring the lesion with the highest maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) in each patient. Mean SUV(max) of 4 major groups of NHL; aggressive B-cell (n = 63), indolent B-cell (n = 31), NK-cell (n = 14) and aggressive T-cell lymphoma (n = 9), was compared using one-way analysis of variance.

Rapid disease progression with delay in treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To assess rate of disease progression from diagnosis to initiation of treatment for Stage I-IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: Forty patients with NSCLC underwent at least two sets of computed tomography (CT) and 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scans at various time intervals before treatment. Progression was defined as development of any new lymph node involvement, site of disease, or stage change.

Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography predicts extrahepatic metastatic potential of colorectal metastasis: a practical guide for yttrium-90 microsphere liver-directed therapy.

The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the likelihood of extrahepatic metastases based on tumor metabolic load index (TMLI) for patients with colorectal liver metastases to determine the potential intermediate endpoint of yttrium-90 (Y-90) microsphere liver-directed therapy. Forty-eight (48) patients with colorectal metastatic cancer of the liver who were referred for Y-90 microsphere therapy and F-18 fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (PET) imaging were included. All patients had baseline computed tomography, hepatic angiography, and planning intra-arterial technetium-99m macro-aggregated albumin scans.