Platelet kinetics in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopaenia treated with thrombopoietin receptor agonists.

Introduction: Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) increase platelet counts (PC) in the majority of patients with chronic immune thrombocytopaenia (ITP). Platelet kinetics study (PKS) might contribute to the understanding of mechanisms that lead to durable response.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of TPO-RAs on PKS parameters in chronic ITP patients.

GammaKey system for improved diagnostics with gamma cameras.

We designed the GammaKey system for the acquisition, storage and analysis of images from semi-analogue gamma scintillation cameras (GSCs). The GammaKey system, operating on a standard PC, replicates the functionality of earlier dedicated computer systems, allows the exchange of data in the DICOM format and has an open architecture enabling the development of new diagnostic techniques. The main purpose of the GammaKey is to enable the continued use of old GSCs which have functional scintillation crystals, but also to permit data exchange with new digital GSCs.

Gallium-68 DOTATOC PET/CT in vivo characterization of somatostatin receptor expression in the prostate.

Aim: The aim was to investigate somatostatin receptor (sstr) expression in normal prostate by determining the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) patients, without NET involvement of the prostate gland, for establishing the reference standard.

Methods: Sixty-four NET patients underwent (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT. SUVmax of the prostate gland, normal liver, testes, and gluteus muscles were evaluated.

Intraoperative somatostatin receptor detection after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with (177)Lu- and (90)Y-DOTATOC (tandem PRRNT) in a patient with a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor.

Aim: The aim of this chapter is to present the results of the first intraoperative somatostatin receptor detection after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRNT) with (90)Y- and (177)Lu-DOTATOC using a handheld gamma probe and comparison with the findings of preoperative (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in a patient with a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) of the ileum.

Materials And Methods: A 56-year-old female patient, treated twice by PRRNT, was admitted for the third cycle and subsequent surgery. Before operation, the following studies were performed for restaging after the second cycle of PRRNT: (99m)Tc-MAG3 + TER, (99m)Tc-DTPA + GFR, abdominal ultrasonography, MRI of the abdomen, (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT as well as (18)F-fluoride PET/CT.

One-year follow-up of myocardial perfusion and function evaluated by gated SPECT MIBI in patients with earlier myocardial infarction and chronic total occlusion.

Objective: Optimal treatment for chronic total occlusion (CTO) in the infarct-related coronary artery is not clear. Our aim was to assess myocardial perfusion, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), and left ventricular size using gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging with 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile in patients with CTO before and 1 year after recanalization.

Methods: Thirty patients with earlier myocardial infarction and at least one CTO underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as well as nitrate-enhanced gated SPECT myocardial perfusion and dobutamine stress echocardiography before and 11 +/- 1 months after recanalization.

Site of myocardial infarction and severity of perfusion abnormalities impact on post-stress left ventricular function in patients with single-vessel disease: gated single-photon emission computed tomography methoxyisobutylisonitrile study.

Objectives: We used gated single-photon emission computed tomography methoxyisobutylisonitrile (SPECT MIBI) to (i) determine whether location of myocardial infarction (MI) and severity of perfusion abnormalities affect post-stress left ventricular function in patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease, and (ii) correlate changes between post-stress and rest ejection fraction (EF) with the severity of perfusion and regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs).

Methods: Eighty-eight patients with a history (> or =3 months) of anterior MI (n=45) or inferior MI (n=43) underwent a 2-day stress-rest gated SPECT MIBI. 4D-MSPECT software was used to calculate left ventricular end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), EF, and the difference from post-stress to rest EF (EFs-EFr).

Assessment of non-small cell lung cancer viability and necrosis with three radiopharmaceuticals.

Unlabelled: Assessment of tumor viability and necrosis of non-small cell lung cancer and detection of distant metastases are important for diagnosis, staging, monitoring the response to treatment and planning long-term management. We performed scintigraphy on patients with non-small cell lung cancer to determine the utility of three tumor targeting tracers for diagnosing primary lung cancer, for differentiating viable from necrotic tumor tissue and for detecting distant bone and soft tissue metastases. Our patients were divided into groups.

[Liver hemangioma blood pool as a function of time].

Unlabelled: Aim of the study was to determine the time needed for establishing maximal labelled red blood cell concentration in hemangioma by scintigraphic semiquantitative blood pool estimation as a function of time.

Patients And Methods: Eleven patients (eight females and three males) with total number of fourteen liver hemangiomas have been examined. Nine of them had solitary lesions and remaininig two patients had two and three liver hemangiomas, respectively.

[Prediction of the splenectomy efficacy in chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura].

The aim of this investigation was to estimate the possibility of predicting the splenectomy response in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The patients' age, sex, megakaryocytes abundance, platelet blood count, production, life span, sequestration/destruction site were considered as possible predictive factors. Thirty-four ITP patients (23 female and 11 male) aged from five to 83 years were investigated.

[Initial 111In-platelet kinetics: indicator of platelet sequestration/destruction site or quality control of platelet labelling?].

Taking into consideration the existing disagreement in the literature, the aim of this paper was to estimate the value of the initial kinetics of autologous platelets labelled with 111In-oxinate, performed during the first 20 minutes after their intravenous injection. Two hypothesis were tested: 1. Initial 111In-platelet kinetics indicates the platelet sequestration site (in patients with normal mean platelet life span)/destruction site (in patients with shortened mean platelet life span), 2.

[Scintigraphic diagnosis of inflammation and infection].

Nuclear medicine, diagnostic and therapeutic application of open sources of ionizing radiation in medicine, has wide range of possibilities for non-invasive infection and inflammation detection. The broad spectrum of methods, some of which are already in routine use while the others are still in the phase of investigation, improvement, or clinical trials, is presented. Most of the methods in routine use are capable of detection and localisation of both inflammation and infection.

[Methods for the quantification of left ventricular volumes assessed by radionuclide ventriculography (first part)].

The purpose of this study was to point out the existing methods and to describe and evaluate the accuracy of new, original, "Geometric-count-based" (GCB) method, based on radionuclide ventriculography, for the measurement of left ventricular volumes compaired to the contrast ventriculography. By having done this, the aim was to compare the accuracy of GCB method and other two radionuclide methods available for left ventricular volume measurements: Count-bases Massardo method and gated blood pool SPECT method. In GCB method count based data from radionuclide ventriculography were combined with geometric ones assuming a prolate ellipsoid left ventricular's shape with identical short axes.

Clinical significance of optimal red cell mass and plasma volume estimation methods.

Background: The aim of this study was to present and compare the results of proposed methods for optimal red cell mass and plasma volume (RCM&PV) estimation, and their influence on the interpretation of obtained results.

Material And Methods: In 120/280 patients with polycythaemia rubra vera, subjected to RCM&PV determination with autologous erythrocytes in vitro labelled with 51Cr-sodium chromate, optimal volumes were determined using: 1. traditional ml/kg of: --the real body weight method (ml/kg RBW); --the optimal body weight method (ml/kg OBW).

111In-platelets dynamic study in chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Background: The aim of this work was to estimate the significance of a dynamic study performed during the first 20 minutes after autologous (111)In-oxinate-platelets injection in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Two hypotheses were tested: a) dynamic study indicates the place of platelet sequestration; b) dynamic study reflects the quality of platelet separation and labelling procedure.

Material And Methods: Thirty-nine persons were investigated: 25 with shortened platelet life span (ITP), and 14 with normal platelet life span (6 healthy subjects and eight patients with myelodysplastic syndrome--MDS).