Bone scan as a stratification variable in advanced prostate cancer.

The serial technetium 99 (99Tc) bone scans of 76 patients with Stage D-2 prostate cancers were reviewed. Sites of metastases in skeletal areas in decreasing order were vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, long bones, and skull. Patients with one or two involved skeletal areas had a significantly longer progression-free interval and survival time than patients with three or more bony areas of uptake.

Pulmonary blood flow distribution in erect man in air and during breathhold diving.

We used intravenously administered 99mTc-labelled macroaggregates and a gamma camera attached to a computer for measuring distribution of pulmonary blood flow per unit lung volume in eight healthy subjects sitting erect in air and also during breathhold diving to 1 or 10 m of depth. We measured distribution of perfusion in the supine position and substituted regional lung volume with regional perfusion in the supine for calculating regional perfusion per lung volume erect in air and during diving. The perfusion per unit lung increased rectilinearly down the lung in subjects below 30 years of age but decreased in the lowermost regions in older subjects.

Gallium 67 scintigraphy in glomerular disease.

To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of gallium 67 scintigraphy in glomerular disease, 45 patients with various glomerulopathies, excluding lupus nephritis and renal vasculitis, were studied. Persistent renal visualization 48 hours after the gallium injection, a positive scintigram, was graded as + (less than), ++ (equal to), and +++ (greater than) the hepatic uptake. Positive scintigrams were seen in ten of 16 cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, six of 11 cases of proliferative glomerulonephritis, and one case of minimal change, and one of two cases of membranous nephropathy; also in three of six cases of sickle glomerulopathy, two cases of diabetic neuropathy, one of two cases of amyloidosis, and one case of mild chronic allograft rejection.

[The use of single-photon emission computed tomography in cardiology].

The tomographic distribution of thallium 201 in the myocardium was studied with a gamma camera with 2 detectors (29 cms in diameter) with 37 photo multipliers each. The camera was connected to a PDP computer with a 256 Kbytes memory. Thallium 201 in a dose of about 74 MBq 2 mCi was used in normal subjects, patients with coronary artery disease and with cardiac hypertrophy.

Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (SACE) activity as an indicator of total body granuloma load and prognosis in sarcoidosis.

The relationship between the level of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) and the total body granuloma load in patients with sarcoidosis was studied in two groups using SACE levels and total body gallium67 scans. The study group consisted of 22 patients with SACE levels greater than or equal to 100 U/ml (EH-SACE group) and the control group consisted of 24 patients consecutively diagnosed to have sarcoidosis in a one year period with SACE level of less than 80 U/ml. The average number of organs involved in the EH-SACE group was 3.

Use of gallium, colloids and pertechnetate as carriers of drugs for selective action.

A pharmacodynamic hypothesis is formulated which considers using substances such as gallium, with predilection to locate in neoplasm and inflammation, to increase the therapeutic effect in the disease-affected area. Drugs carried by a colloid can be directed to the liver, IDA derivatives which are metabolized by hepatocytes can also be used as transporters of drugs to the liver and to the hepatobiliary tree because they are eliminated through that route. In diseases which affect the blood-brain barrier substance such as pertechnetate can be used as drug carriers.

Appraisal of lupus nephritis by renal imaging with gallium-67.

To assess the activity of lupus nephritis, 43 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were studied by gallium imaging. Delayed renal visualization 48 hours after the gallium injection, a positive result, was noted in 25 of 48 scans. Active renal disease was defined by the presence of hematuria, pyuria (10 or more red blood cells or white blood cells per high-power field), proteinuria (1 g or more per 24 hours), a rising serum creatinine level, or a recent biopsy specimen showing proliferative and/or necrotizing lesions involving more than 20 percent of glomeruli.

Nuclear medicine in the diagnosis of cardiac contusion.

In 16 patients with blunt trauma to the chest, the role of cardiovascular nuclear medicine was evaluated using anterior chest flow assessment, with first-pass ejection fraction of left and right ventricles and 99mTc-pyrophosphate scintigraphy. The radiopharmaceutical used was pyrophosphate, labelled with approximately 20 mCi 99mTc. The anterior chest flow and first-pass ejection fractions were initially obtained during the injection of 99mTc-pyrophosphate and were followed up 3 h later by anterior, LAO 45 degrees, and left lateral views of the chest, using an LFOV gamma camera with a data processor.

Hemoptysis and pulmonary artery agenesis: case report.

The combination of a pulmonary scintigram using radioactive labeled albumin macroaggregates (MAA) and a study of the circulation in the bronchial artery was performed in one patient. This noninvasive methodology showed that there was increased circulation to the vascular territory of the lung in which the pulmonary artery was missing. This could have resulted from abnormal communications between the bronchial artery and the pulmonary vessels or an increased blood supply to the right lung from bronchial arteries arising from the aorta.

Single photon emission computed tomography study of human pulmonary perfusion: preliminary findings.

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was performed with 99Tcm-albumin macroaggregates to study human pulmonary perfusion in healthy subjects and patients with respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung neoplasms. The reconstructed SPECT data was displayed in coronal, transverse, sagittal plane sections and compared to conventional perfusion scans. The SPECT data gave more complicated anatomical information about the extent of damage and morphology of the pulmonary vascular bed.

Sarcoidosis: a truly protean disease.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease, the activity of the disease process can be ascertained by determining the angiotension levels in blood. This also can be achieved by 67Ga scintigraphy that will inform about different areas of localisation of the disease process. 67Ga-scintigraphy is also useful in the follow-up of patients with sarcoidosis and to evaluate the response to therapy.

Cardiovascular lymphoscintigraphy.

The technique of lymphoscintigraphy when applied to the heart and blood vessels correlates well with results of anatomic investigations of arterial and cardiac lymphatic vessels reported in the literature. Five dogs and eight rabbits underwent lymphoscintigraphy of the heart and aorta, as well as the iliac, femoral, and tibial arteries. After surgical exposure, approximately 500 microCi of 99mTc-labelled antimony sulfide was injected into the myocardium or the adventitial-medial plane of an artery.

Late bone metastasis in breast carcinoma.

A 49-year-old woman was free of metastases for 14 years after a left radical mastectomy. Metastases were found only in the skull, also the bone marrow biopsy demonstrated metastases.

Indications for Gallium 67 in surgical oncology.

Until recently, the diagnosis of primary neoplasms and metastasis required different and complicated tests, many of which were invasive. Several radiopharmaceuticals have been tried in the diagnosis and management of neoplasms, but so far, the only radiopharmaceutical which gives satisfactory results is Gallium 67. Scintigraphy with this compound allows localization of the primary neoplasm and metastasis.

Airway function in sarcoidosis: smokers versus nonsmokers.

Pulmonary function was measured in 24 sarcoidosis patients, 17 nonsmokers and 7 smokers. 12 (4 smokers) had evidence of small airway disease and 6 patients (3 smokers) had evidence of large airway disease. A significantly greater proportion of smokers had an increased closing volume, and closing volume appears to be the most sensitive test for small airway disease in sarcoidosis.

Gallium-67 uptake in cutaneous sarcoidosis.

A case of abnormally increased gallium-67 uptake by cutaneous lesions in sarcoidosis is reported. The patient also had active sarcoidosis in lungs, periaortic lymph glands, salivary, and lachrymal glands.