Sonographically guided core biopsy of the salivary gland masses: safety and efficacy.

Over an 8-year period, we performed ultrasonography (US)-guided core biopsy of the salivary gland in 37 patients using an 1l-mm-throw 18-gauge automated biopsy system. The biopsy results were retrospectively compared with the findings of surgical pathology (n=18) or more than 6 months of clinical follow-up (n=19). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US-guided core biopsy for the diagnosis of malignancy were 75.

Thyroid calcifications: sonographic patterns and incidence of cancer.

We investigated the incidence of cancer in surgically resected 151 thyroid nodules in 101 patients according to their calcification patterns on preoperative ultrasonography (US). Calcification was detected in 57 (38%) nodules, 31 (54%) of which was histologically diagnosed as cancer. According to the calcification types, 9 of 11 nodules with microcalcifications, 15 of 29 nodules with intranodular coarse calcification, 6 of 14 nodules with peripheral calcification and 1 of 3 calcified spots without surrounding tumor were diagnosed as cancer.

In vitro proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic lactate and choline measurements, 18F-FDG uptake, and prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Unlabelled: It has been reported that (18)F-FDG uptake, lactate concentration, and choline concentration are good indicators of malignant grade in several different kinds of tumors. In this study, we investigated the correlation between (18)F-FDG uptake in (18)F-FDG PET imaging, lactate concentration and choline concentration measured by in vitro (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and survival probabilities in human lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Nineteen patients with lung adenocarcinoma underwent (18)F-FDG PET before surgery.

Cardiac 123I-MIBG scintigraphy can assess the disease severity and phenotype of PD.

Objective: Cardiac (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy studies of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) found decreased uptake. Whether this decrease is associated with clinical severity as assessed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the phenotypes of PD has not been determined.

Methods: Cardiac MIBG scintigraphy was performed on 34 patients with PD, 7 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 4 with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and 11 normal controls (NCs).

Thallium-201 brain SPECT to diagnose aggressiveness of meningiomas.

This investigation was conducted to determine the ability of 201Tl brain SPECT with respect to preoperative prediction of lesional aggressiveness of meningioma. Fifty-nine lesions in 42 patients were examined. Early (15 min) and late (3 h) SPECT were obtained.

11C-acetate PET imaging of lung cancer: comparison with 18F-FDG PET and 99mTc-MIBI SPET.

Recently carbon-11 acetate (AC) positron emission tomography (PET) has been reported to be of clinical value for the diagnosis of cancer that is negative on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucoce (FDG) PET. We investigated the uptake of AC in lung cancer to determine whether this tracer is of potential value for tumour detection and characterisation, and to compare AC PET imaging with FDG PET and technetium-99m sestamibi (MIBI) single-photon emission tomography (SPET). Twenty-three patients with 25 lung cancers underwent AC and FDG PET.

Scintigraphic prediction of therapeutic outcomes of splenectomy in patients with thrombocytopenia.

Unlabelled: In patients with thrombocytopenia, platelet scintigraphy has been used to locate the site of platelet sequestration and destruction and to determine whether splenectomy will be of benefit. However, its efficacy in predicting the outcome of splenectomy is controversial. We assessed the feasibility of platelet scintigraphy in this regard.

Differential diagnosis in patients with ring-like thallium-201 uptake in brain SPECT.

Unlabelled: This study was performed to investigate lesions with ring-like thallium-201 (201Tl) uptake and to determine whether SPECT provides any information in differential diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 244 201Tl SPECT images were reviewed. In each study, early (15 min postinjection) and late (3 hr) brain SPECT images were obtained with 111 MBq of 201Tl.

Changes in regional cerebral blood flow in irradiated regions and normal brain after stereotactic radiosurgery.

Objective: To elucidate the radiation effect on the normal brain after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), we evaluated the change in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in targeted and extra-targeted areas according to the radiation dose given.

Methods: Thirteen patients who underwent SRS for brain tumors or arteriovenous malformations were included in this study. Maximum radiation doses to the lesion ranged from 24 to 37 Gy.

18F-FDG uptake as a biologic prognostic factor for recurrence in patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer.

Unlabelled: Among patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), approximately 50% present with a recurrent tumor. The clinical or pathologic TNM staging does not always provide a satisfactory explanation for differences in relapse and survival. Thus, it is of major importance to be able to predict these relapses and to prevent them with an active chemotherapy or radiotherapy program (or both).