A phantom assessment of portable imaging and radio-guided surgery systems with technetium-99m and fluorine-18.

Aim: To perform a detailed analysis of the performance of mobile intraoperative imaging systems and gamma probes in a phantom set-up, and compare this with a conventional gamma camera.

Methods: Two separate experiments were performed. In the first, a modified Jaszczak phantom equipped with five (99m)Tc-filled hot spheres (0.

Pathological 99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is independently associated with emerging cardiac events in elderly patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

Background: Only few data are available regarding the prognostic impact of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-sestamibi (MPS) regarding emerging cardiac events in elderly patients

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of MPS regarding emerging cardiac events in patients aged ≥70 years with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Material And Methods: One hundred and thirty-three patients (74.6 ± 3.

Chronic vagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant depression increases regional cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in depressed patients. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed by [(99m)Tc]-HMPAO-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after 10weeks of VNS in patients participating in an open, uncontrolled European multi-center study investigating efficacy and safety of VNS. Patients suffered from major depression, with a baseline score of≥20 on the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and had been unsuccessfully treated with at least two adequately prescribed antidepressant drugs.

Significant association of female gender with lower degree of pathological 99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy results as well as higher cardiac-related deaths free survival in elderly patients.

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of female gender on the extent of myocardial perfusion defects as revealed by (99m)Tc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) and on emerging cardiac events (CE) in patients aged ≥ 70 years.

Patients And Methods: 86 patients aged ≥ 70 years with known or suspected CAD undergoing MPS (74.4 ± 3.

Influence of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on resting state perfusion in patients with major depression.

Neuroimaging studies in major depressive disorder (MDD) have indicated dysregulation in a network involving prefrontal cortex, subgenual cingulate and the amygdalae, which is known to be modulated by serotonin. The serotonergic system is the principal target for pharmacological treatment in MDD and the functional variable serotonin promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) influences susceptibility, course and treatment response of MDD. Using data from a previously published sample of 89 MDD-patients, we examined post hoc the effect of 5-HTTLPR status on resting state perfusion, as measured with (99m)Tc-HMPAO-SPECT.

Impact of the Ki-67 proliferation index on response to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.

Purpose: The role of the Ki-67 tumour proliferation index (PI) in predicting the efficacy of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) in gastroenteropancreatic tumours (GEP-NET) remains undetermined. This single-centre analysis focused on the potential therapeutic impact of this immunohistochemical parameter.

Methods: A total of 81 consecutive GEP-NET patients treated with (177)Lu-DOTA-octreotate (mean activity of 7.

The significance of 99mTc-MAA SPECT/CT liver perfusion imaging in treatment planning for 90Y-microsphere selective internal radiation treatment.

Unlabelled: Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT), a catheter-based liver-directed modality for treating primary and metastatic liver cancer, requires appropriate planning to maximize its therapeutic response and minimize its side effects. (99m)Tc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) scanning should precede the therapy to detect any extrahepatic shunting to the lung or gastrointestinal tract. Our aim was to compare the ability of SPECT/CT with that of planar imaging and SPECT in the detection and localization of extrahepatic (99m)Tc-MAA accumulation and to evaluate the impact of SPECT/CT on SIRT treatment planning and its added value to angiography in this setting.

Nucleus accumbens deep brain stimulation decreases ratings of depression and anxiety in treatment-resistant depression.

Background: While most patients with depression respond to combinations of pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), there are patients requiring other treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) allows modulation of brain regions that are dysfunctional in depression. Since anhedonia is a feature of depression and there is evidence of dysfunction of the reward system, DBS to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) might be promising.

The value of HMPAO SPECT in predicting treatment response to citalopram in patients with major depression.

Alterations of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex are conspicuous imaging findings in patients with major depression (MD). While these rCBF changes have been suggested as functional disease markers, data in large patient samples examining treatment response prediction to antidepressant therapy are limited. This study examined the predictive value of Tc-99m-HMPAO-SPECT for subsequent treatment response to antidepressant therapy with citalopram in an unprecedented large collective of patients.

Hemodynamic variables during stress testing can predict referral to early catheterization but failed to show a prognostic impact on emerging cardiac events in patients aged 70 years and older undergoing exercise (99m)Tc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of hemodynamic variables during ergometric stress testing for (99m)Tc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) as compared to several patient-related variables and MPS results with regard to referral to early coronary angiography (<3 months after MPS; CA) as well as cardiac event (CE) free survival in a study population aged > or =70 years. About 90 patients aged > or =70 years (74.5 +/- 3.

Dose selection for radioiodine therapy of borderline hyperthyroid patients according to thyroid uptake of 99mTc-pertechnetate: applicability to unifocal thyroid autonomy?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of applying a previously described dose strategy based on (99m)Tc-pertechnetate thyroid uptake under thyrotropin suppression (TcTU(s)) to radioiodine therapy for unifocal thyroid autonomy.

Methods: A total of 425 consecutive patients (302 females, 123 males; age 63.1+/-10.

Nasolacrimal drainage obstruction after radioiodine therapy: case report and a review of the literature.

The authors report a 54-year-old woman with papillary thyroid carcinoma (Lindsay type, pT2 N0 M1) with pulmonary metastases. After a total thyroidectomy, a series of 3 radioiodine therapies were performed with a cumulative dose of 700 mCi I-131. After termination of the therapy, the patient was initially without complaints, but approximately 6 months later, epiphora was noted, first only of the right eye and eventually of both eyes.

Proteinase-3 as the major autoantigen of c-ANCA is strongly expressed in lung tissue of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis.

Proteinase-3 (PR-3) is a neutral serine proteinase present in azurophil granules of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and serves as the major target antigen of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies with a cytoplasmic staining pattern (c-ANCA) in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). The WG disease appears as severe vasculitis in different organs (e.g.

201Tl, 99mTc-MIBI, 99mTc-tetrofosmin and 99mTc-furifosmin: relative retention and clearance kinetics in retrogradely perfused guinea pig hearts.

Myocellular kinetics of 201Tl, 99mTc-MIBI, 99mTc-tetrofosmin and 99mTc-furifosmin were investigated using retrogradely-perfused guinea-pig hearts. Relative retention decreased in the order 99mTc-MIBI ==> 99mTc-tetrofosmin ==> 99mTc-furifosmin. 201Tl and 99mTc-MIBI exhibited bi- (t1,t2), 99mTc-tetrofosmin and 99mTc-furifosmin triexponential (t1,t2,t3) time-activity-curves.