Dynamic coupling of 99mTc-MIBI efflux and apoptotic pathway activation in untreated breast cancer patients.

Our previous studies showed that the efflux rate of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) is directly correlated to P-glycoprotein (Pgp) levels in breast carcinoma. The aim of this study was to test whether the Pgp-dependent efflux of 99mTc-MIBI is related to the apoptotic pathway activation in breast carcinoma. Thirty-three untreated non-consecutive patients were intravenously injected with 740 MBq 99mTc-MIBI and serial images were obtained up to 4 h.

Scintimammography with 99mTc-MIBI versus dynamic MRI for non-invasive characterization of breast masses.

Although mammography remains the technique of choice for the early detection of breast cancer, several imaging techniques, including scintimammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have recently been proposed as adjuncts for this purpose and included in many diagnostic protocols. This study was undertaken to assess the clinical accuracy of scintimammography with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) and contrast-enhanced MRI in the detection of primary breast carcinoma in patients with equivocal mammographic findings. Forty-nine patients with a suspicious breast mass detected either by physical examination or by mammography and ultrasound (US) were studied.

Technetium-99m-tetrofosmin uptake in brain tumors by SPECT: comparison with thallium-201 imaging.

Unlabelled: Thallium-201 is clinically used for the assessment of primary and recurrent brain tumors. The biologic properties of 201Tl that allow it to accumulate within the tumor cells render 201Tl useful in evaluating tumor malignancy, but its physical characteristics and nonroutine availability limits its use in some institutions, as compared to 99mTc-labeled compounds. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using 99mTc-tetrofosmin for imaging brain tumors and to compare its uptake with that of 201Tl.

Reduced cortical distribution volume of iodine-123 iomazenil in Alzheimer's disease as a measure of loss of synapses.

Iodine-123 labelled iomazenil (IMZ) is a specific tracer for the GABAA receptor, the dominant inhibitory synapse of the brain. The cerebral distribution volume (Vd) of IMZ may be taken as a quantitative measure of these synapses in Alzheimer's disease (AD), where synaptic loss tends indiscriminately to affect all cortical neurons, albeit more so in some areas than in others. In this pilot study we measured Vd in six patients with probable AD and in five age-matched controls using a brain-dedicated single-photon emission tomography scanner allowing all cortical levels to be sampled simultaneously.