Is there a role for Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy in ischemic colitis?

AIM: To evaluate the role of pentavalent Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid [Tc-99m (V) DMSA] in the diagnosis of ischemic colitis. METHODS: Fourteen patients with endoscopically and histologically confirmed ischemic colitis were included in the study. Tc-99m (V) DMSA scintigraphy was performed within 2 d after colonoscopy. Images were considered positive when an area of increased activity was observed in the region of interest and negative when no abnormal tracer uptake was detected. RESULTS: In 3 out of the 14 patients, Tc-99m (V) DMSA images showed moderate activity in the bowel. The scintigraphic results corresponded with the endoscopic findings. In the other 11 patients, no abnormal tracer uptake was detected in the abdomen. CONCLUSION: Besides the limited number of patients, Tc-99m (V) DMSA could not be considered as a useful imaging modality for the evaluation of ischemic colitis.

Leukocyte-technetium-99m uptake in Crohn's disease:Does it show subclinical disease?

AIM:To evaluate inflammatory activity in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) using technetium-99m-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) granulocyte scintigraphy.METHODS: Twenty patients (7 male and 13 female) with CD and five healthy volunteers were selected for 99mTc-HMPAO granulocyte scintigraphy. The Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI), blood tests and C-reactive protein (CRP) of each patient were performed 7 d before the scintigraphic images. The leukocytes were labeled according to the International Society of Radiolabeled Blood Elements (ISORBE) consensus protocol and the scintigraphic images, including single photon emission computed tomography, were obtained 30 min and 2 h after injection of the radiolabeled leukocytes.RESULTS:The labeling yield of the leukocytes with the lipophilic complex 99mTc-HMPAO was 55.0%±10%. Six of the 20 patients (30%) presented congruent results for the three parameters investigated (CDAI, Scintigraphic Index and CRP). On the other hand, 14 patients (70%) did not show congruent results. There was no significant correlation between the indices analyzed according to the Spearman test (P>0.05,n=20).CONCLUSION: The results suggest that 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy could be important for determining inflammatory activity in CD even in the absence of clinical symptoms.

Role of scintigraphy in inflammatory bowel disease

The diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) depends on direct endoscopic visualization of the colonic and ileal mucosa and the histological study of the obtained samples.Radiological and scintigraphic methods are mainly used as an adjunct to endoscopy.In this review,we focus on the diagnostic potential of nuclear medicine procedures.The value of all radiotracers is described with special reference to those with greater experience and more satisfactory results.Tc-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime white blood cells remain a widely acceptable scintigraphic method for the diagnosis of IBD,as well as for the evaluation of disease extension and severity.Recently,pentavalent Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid has been recommended as an accurate variant and a complementary technique to endoscopy for the follow-up and assessment of disease activity.Positron emission tomography alone or with computed tomography using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose appears to be a promising method of measuring inflammation in IBD patients.

Incidental Diagnosis of a Brown Tumor Mimicking Bone and Lung Metastasis during a Parathyroid Scintigraphy

We report herein a case of a 40-year-old male patient with chronic renal failure presenting a severe hyperparathyroidism with an elevation of parathormone level evaluated in nuclear medicine department for MIBI-Technetium-99m parathyroid scintigraphy. The parathyroid scintigraphy revealed the appearance of a preferential fixation of the MIBI-99mTc opposite the lower left pole of the thyroid and opposite the upper part of the right hemi thorax. A subsequent single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography focused on the cervico-thoracic region was performed and showed an ectopic parathyroid adenoma associated with an incidental brown tumor mimicking bone and lung metastases. Our case report confirms the usefulness of additional hybrid SPECT-CT imaging in the management of hyperparathyroidism.