Blood volume determination, a nuclear medicine test in evolution.

The method for determining blood volume has evolved substantially since first attempts were made in the latter part of the nineteenth century with the exsanguination of animals. The now accepted methods are based on indicator dilution methodologies. First attempts utilized inert dyes such as Evans Blue and Cardiogreen.

Hyperparathyroidism accompanying multiple myeloma.

Hypercalcemia is a manifestation of a variety of both benign and malignant diseases. These conditions are not mutually exclusive, and we present a case report of a patient first diagnosed with the classic findings of multiple myeloma who, after appropriate therapy, demonstrated persistent hypercalcemia and was found on further testing to have an elevated parathormone level (PTH) and scintigraphic evidence of a benign parathyroid adenoma. Hypercalcemia responded to excision of the parathyroid adenoma.

Chemotherapy-induced pericarditis on F-18 FDG positron emission tomography scan.

F-18 FDG positron emission tomography (PET) is a highly valuable imaging tool in evaluation and follow up of lymphoma and many other malignancies. Constrictive or effusive constrictive pericarditis is an uncommon complication of chemotherapy. The authors report a case in which pericardial FDG uptake was seen on a whole-body PET scan performed for posttreatment follow-up evaluation for a mantle cell lymphoma.

Quantitative Brain PET. Comparison of 2D and 3D Acquisitions on the GE Advance Scanner.

PURPOSE: Recent developments in the design of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners have made three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition attractive because of significantly higher sensitivity compared to the conventional 2D mode (with lead/tungsten septa extended). However, the increased count rate in 3D mode comes at the cost of increased scatter, randoms, and dead time. Several schemes to correct for these effects have been proposed and validated in phantom studies.

Opioids prolong nuclear hepatobiliary imaging when given prior to scanning.

Opioid-mediated contraction of the distal common bile duct (CBD) may delay tracer passage during nuclear hepatobiliary imaging (NHI), mimicking pathologic obstruction. We sought to determine if opioid administration before NHI delays CBD visualization and prolongs imaging. The records of 198 Emergency Department patients who underwent NHI were reviewed (after excluding those with evidence for pathologic CBD obstruction).

Outcome and toxicity associated with maximum safe dose radioiodine treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer.

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the outcomes of patients referred to the authors' nuclear medicine service for dosimetric evaluation and treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer with radioiodine I-131. In addition, the incidence and severity of hematologic toxicity associated with treatment were determined.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients referred for dosimetric evaluation was undertaken for the years 1984 to 2000.

A new method to measure thyroid uptake with a gamma camera without routine use of a standard source.

Purpose: This study was designed to validate a reliable gamma camera-based method for measuring thyroid uptake. The method is based on a stable calibration procedure and does not require daily use of a standard source. In addition, the method is designed to overcome deadtime losses inherent in uptake probe measurements with iodine-123.