Aim: Recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) recently was approved as an alternative to thyroid hormone withholding (THW) to elevate TSH for thyroid remnant ablation in differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients. High ablation success rates are reported with diverse rhTSH-aided I-131 activities. Improved renal function causes similar to 50% faster radioiodine clearance under euthyroidism versus hypothyroidism. Knowledge of comparative remnant radioiodine kinetics, particularly the remnant radiation dose in Gy/GBq of administered I-131 activity (RDpA), could assist in choosing rhTSH-aided ablative activities.Material and Methods: To compare the RDpA, determined through I-124-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), under the two stimulation methods, we retrospectively divided into two groups 55 consecutive totally-thyroidectomized, radioiodine-naive patients. The rhTSH group (n = 16) received I-124 on thyroid hormone, 24 h after two consecutive daily intramuscular injections of rhTSH, 0.9 mg. The THW group (n = 39) received I-124 after weeks-long THW, when serum TSH first measured >= 25 mIU/L. We performed PET investigations 4 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h and PET/CT 25 h after I-124 administration.Results: Median stimulated serum thyroglobulin was 15 times higher (p = 0.023) and M1 disease almost twice as prevalent (p = 0.05) in rhTSH versus THW patients. Mean +/- standard deviation RDpA was statistically equivalent between the groups: rhTSH, 461 +/- 600 Gy/GBq, THW, 302 +/- 329 Gy/GBq, two-sided p = 0.258.Conclusions: rhTSH or THW deliver statistically equivalent radiation doses to thyroid remnant and may be chosen based on safety, quality-of-life, convenience and pharmacoeconomic factors. Institutional fixed radioiodine activities formulated for use with THW need not be adjusted for rhTSH-aided ablation.

UNLABELLED The enhanced absorption of X-rays in calcified structures is a basic prerequisite for performing conventional bone radiography. On the other hand, nothing has been reported on possible absorption effects of 'calcifications' as frequent findings in thyroid nodules or in the sternal bone / sternoclavicular joints. This may be caused by the general opinion, that the high energy of 99mTc-photons (140 keV) do not make visible absorptions effects very likely. PATIENTS, METHODS To prove possible absorption effects of calcifications on thyroid scintigraphy experimentally, effects of calcium absorbers were tested on a technetium flood phantom. Furthermore, absorption effects of various calcifications (discs of calcium sulphate and calcium carbonate with varying thickness) on normal thyroid tissue and autonomous nodules were simulated in a thyroid phantom. CT 130 kV-images of 46 consecutive patients were checked for presence of retrosternal or retroclavicular growth of the thyroid gland and to measure the extent and density of the sternal bone and calcified intrathyroidal nodules. In addition, clinical cases are presented in which a possible absorption by calcifications seems to be likely. RESULTS Bony structures in front of the thyroid gland or calcified intrathyroidal nodules could be seen on CT in 24/46 patients. The mean averaged density was 219 Houndsfield units (SD: 89 HU). The quantitative measurements using a 99mTc-flood source showed a mean absorption of 4.9%. In a thyroid phantom, absorption effects were visible only in 3/20 positions of the calcium discs over the thyroid phantom. Focal effects could be better detected in situations of only moderate uptake of the surrounding tissue. A dependence of absorption and chemistry (sulphate, carbonate) could not be found. CONCLUSION Visible absorption effects caused by sternal bone or thyroid calcifications are seldom but potentially able to diminish the visible uptake and should be taken into account when interpreting thyroid scintigrams.

Drug Prescribing for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease in General Practice: a Cross-Sectional Study

This study was performed to evaluate the clinical value of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) in the diagnostic management of patients having recurrent medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). In 22 patients with recurrent MTC after primary surgical intervention, 33 SRS were performed. Planar imaging was carried after i.v. administration of 180 MBq of [In]-DTPA-D-Phe-octreotide (Octreoscan®), SPET of the neck and thoracic regions. The scintigraphical results were compared with the tumor markers human calcitonin (hCT), CEA, other imaging methods, histological findings, and clinical follow-up. In 36% (8/22) of the cases, SRS was concordant to the defined gold standard in the detection or exclusion of tumor tissue. If patients with liver metastases are excluded, SRS was positive in hCT levels >6.4 ng/ml and in hCT/CEA ratios >0.38. SRS can only be recommended to clear up equivocal findings especially in patients having sufficiently elevated titers of hCT levels and hCT/CEA ratios.

Objective: Ultrasonography is an established diagnostic modality in the follow-up of thyroid cancer. Color flow Doppler has been proposed by some authors as an additional tool for differentiating benign from malignant cervical lesions in various types of head and neck cancer. Over the last few years, a new generation of high-resolution ultrasound platforms with the ‘power-mode’ feature has become available, that also enables the imaging of small vessel blood flow. The objective of our study was to find ways of optimizing the differentiation of benign and malignant cervical tumors in thyroid cancer follow-up by means of sonography. Methods: Hundred and twelve cervical lesions in 90 patients with thyroid cancer were evaluated by high-end ultrasonography (Sonoline™ Elegra, Siemens) using a small-part transducer (7.5 L 40, Siemens). B-mode sonography was performed at a frequency of 8 MHz. The Solbiati index (SI= ratio of largest to smallest diameter), configuration, echogenicity, intranodular structures, and margins were assessed. Perinodular and intranodular blood flow was evaluated by color flow Doppler (PRF 1250 Hz for conventional color flow Doppler, 868 Hz for power-mode Doppler). Possible malignancy was validated by histology, cytology, scintigraphy, and follow-up. Thirty five lesions were benign (diameter 0.4–3.0 cm) and 77 were malignant (0.4–5.4 cm). The patients were randomized into a test group and a learning group to determine the diagnostic value of various ultrasound criteria by means of statistical analysis. In the learning group, decision rules based on the dichotomized criteria were developed using a logistic regression model. Sensitivity and specificity of these decision rules were then evaluated in the test group. Results: The presence of an echocomplex pattern or irregular hyperechoic small intranodular structures (criterion A) and the presence of an irregular diffuse intranodular blood flow (criterion B) are the best indicators of malignancy, whereas an SI≫2 is highly indicative of benign changes. Color flow Doppler is a useful addition to B-mode scanning for distinguishing benign and malignant neoplasms in the follow-up of thyroid cancer. Power-mode Doppler sonography significantly improves imaging of perinodular and intranodular blood flow when compared with conventional color flow Doppler. Conclusion: We propose the following decision rules based on a combination of the criteria above: (A) and (B) fulfilled: malignant, if SI≤4; (B) but not (A) fulfilled: malignant, if SI≤3; (A) but not (B) fulfilled: malignant, if SI≤2; neither (A) nor (B) fulfilled: malignant, if SI≈1 (sensitivity: 90%; specificity: 82%; accuracy 88%).

In the last 30 years, the clinical radiology underwent a very rapid development like only few other clinical sciences. In Germany and some other countries, the radiology was divided into radiologic diagnostics (with neuroradiology, pediatric radiology and interventional radiology as subdisciplines), radiotherapy/radiooncology and nuclear medicine. New diagnostic procedures, like CT, MRT and PET have been created as new methods of evaluation, further ones for image management (3D procedures, PACS, teleradiology) and were introduced into clinical practice.The present article tries to project those actual trends (like "body surfing") into nearer future, which may cause severe alterations in clinical management. The consequences on patient management, medical education and sciences will be discussed.Even if some of the prognoses seem to he rather scurrilous, it is necessary to face possible consequences of development as early as possible to avoid possible negative tendencies by early adequate interventions.

OBJECTIVE, DESIGN AND METHODS Although TRH testing has been eliminated in the diagnosis of most benign thyroid diseases, it is still controversial whether or not it can be replaced by ultrasensitive determination of basal TSH for monitoring optimal TSH suppression in thyroid cancer patients. We compared basal and TRH-stimulated TSH values measured by a 2 nd generation assay (lower detection limit 0.1 mU/l) and by a 3 rd generation assay (lower detection limit 0.005 mU/l) in 209 thyroidectomized thyroid cancer patients under suppressive levothyroxine treatment. RESULTS In the 2 nd generation assay all patients had basal TSH values < 0.1 mU/l (criterion of admission in the study), and the TRH-stimulated TSH values were above the lower detection limit in 47% of the patients (range < 0.1-1.0 mU/l). In the 3 rd generation assay TSH was above the lower detection limit in 67% under basal conditions (range < 0.005-0.098 mU/l), and in 83% after TRH stimulation (range < 0.005-1.000 mU/l). We observed close correlations (p < 0.001) between basal and TRH-stimulated TSH in the 3 rd generation assay (r = 0.86), between TRH-stimulated TSH in the 2 nd and 3 rd generation assay (r = 0.95), and between TRH-stimulated TSH in the 2 nd generation assay and basal TSH in the 3 rd generation assay (r = 0.73). The ratio between TRH-stimulated and basal TSH values was in the average range 7-9 : 1. Subdividing the patients in three subgroups based on the TRH-stimulated TSH values from the 2 nd generation assay, the corresponding basal TSH values (median and [25.-75. percentile]) from the 3 rd generation assay were < 0.005 [< 0.005-0.010] mU/l in subgroup A (2 nd generation stim. TSH: < 0.15 mU/l), 0.032 [0.021-0.040] mU/l in subgroup B (2 nd generation stim. TSH: 0.15-0.4 mU/l), and 0.066 [0.046-0.085] mU/l in subgroup C (2 nd generation stim. TSH: > or = 0.5 mU/l). CONCLUSIONS Even in those thyroid cancer patients where a high degree of TSH suppression is the therapeutic goal, 3 rd generation TSH assays enable a reliable adjustment of the levothyroxine dose by basal TSH determinations. In laboratories still using 2 nd generation assays, the monitoring of maximal TSH suppression in patients with high-risk thyroid cancer should be performed by TRH testing.

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of radioiodine therapy on sonographic thyroid patterns using power Doppler (PD) and colour Doppler (CD) sonography in hyperthyroid patients with autonomous nodules (AN) and Graves' disease (GD). METHOD B-mode, colour, and power Doppler sonography, (99m)Tc scintigraphy, and laboratory analyses (free thyronine fT(3), free thyroxine fT(4), thyroid stimulating hormone TSH) were performed in 55 patients (AN = 27, GD = 28) before and 6 months following therapy with (131)I radioiodine therapy (RIT). RESULTS In patients with an AN (but not in GD), a significant reduction in thyroid vascularization was subjectively noted following radioiodine therapy on both CD and PD ultrasound (Wilcoxon matched pairs, P < 0.05). The pre-therapeutic grade of hypervascularization in the periphery of autonomous nodules correlated closely with the laboratory parameters of hyperthyroidism. As expected, PD indicated a higher grade of vascularization when compared with CD due to its greater sensitivity to flow. CONCLUSIONS Radioiodine therapy led to a significant reduction in hypervascularization in patients with AN (but not in GD) corresponding to the normalization of serological values. Comparing CD and PD, PD detected a greater number of vessels. CD and PD are not able to replace scintigraphy and/or laboratory analyses in the management of patients with hyperthyroidism.

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of dopamine transporters by using the cocaine derivative [123I]-(1R)-2-β-carbomethoxy-3-β-(4-iodophenyl)-tropane ([123I]-β-CIT) has been shown to be useful in patients with Parkinsonism. The aim of this study was to compare β-CIT imaging with single-headed (SHS) and three-headed gamma camera systems (THS). In 17 patients with Parkinsonism, SPECT imaging with an SHS and a THS was performed 24 h after injection of 180 MBq of [123I]-β-CIT. The SPECT studies were evaluated by visual assessment of the caudate nucleus (CN) and the putamen (PT) and the calculation of the striatal/cerebellar (S/C) ratios (with additional comparison to clinical symptoms measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)). The S/C ratios measured by the SHS and THS showed highly significant correlation (two-tailed P<0.01) with Spearman correlation coefficients (SCCs) of 0.864 for the right side, 0.676 for the left side, and 0.761 for both sides. By the SHS, a sufficient visual differentiation between the CN and the PT could not be achieved. A significantly better distinction could be achieved by using the THS (Wilcoxon P<0.05). The S/C ratios of the THS only showed a significant (P<0.05) SCC of −0.514 comparing to the UPDRS. Pathological alterations in the β-CIT uptake pattern could be identified by using the SHS, but a significantly better differentiation of CN and the PT was possible by using the THS. The significant correlation of the S/C ratios measured by THS only emphasizes the value of THS in β-CIT imaging.

Vascular Parkinsonism (VP) is characterised by sudden onset and rapid progression of clinical symptoms, absent or poor response to dopamine substitution therapy, and postural instability with shuffling gait and absence of tremor, making it a clinically distinct entity from idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). Furthermore, it displays certain typical findings in neurological investigations. We report on a patient presenting features of VP associated with an intracerebral lesion not ascribed to VP to date, namely an isolated ischaemic focal lesion located in the left cerebral peduncle between the substantia nigra and nucleus ruber as evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The pathophysiological organic correlate for contralateral extrapyramidal symptoms in this patient may be an interruption of nigro-thalamic projection, interrupting the final subcortical station in the cortic-striato-pallido-nigro-thalamico-cortical loop central to the pathophysiology of parkinsonian syndromes. Non-response t o levodopa therapy could be a consequence of disruption of the cortico-basal ganglia-cortical loop on account of ischaemic destruction of subcortico-cortical axons, the underlying pathology, therefore, not being the result of a loss of nigral dopaminergi cneurons or striatal dopamine deficiency pathogonomonic of IPD. To our knowledge, this is the first case of clinically manifest VP to be described with a single lesion in the contralateral cerebral peduncle between the substantia nigra and nucleus ruber, and suggests alternative intracerebral patterns for the distribution of disease-causing lesions in VP, and possibly new pathophysiological explanations for the nature of this disease.

Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) is a common method to evaluate cardiotoxic effects of drugs applied during chemotherapeutic treatment, whereas thoracic radiographs are used to detect morphologic alterations. Aim of this study was to identify radiographic signs, which correlate with RNV parameters and with RNV image quality. For this study, RNV data of 116 patients receiving chemotherapy acquired during 205 RNV studies (some patients underwent up to 7 follow-up examinations) were correlated to roentgenologic findings assessed by 176 thoracic radiographs. Isolated thoracic radiographic signs of cardiac failure showed only slight correlations to left ventricular ejection fractions measured with radionuclide ventriculography, but the orientation of correlation (positive or negative) could be confirmed well by clinical data. This fact matches clinical experience, that radiographic signs of heart insufficiency can surely predict heart damage only when several of them coincide. By the help of this study it was possible to detect radiographic findings, which are of relevance in patients with suspicion of cardiotoxic damage as side effect of high-dose chemotherapy. The clinical value of several radiologic findings should be reassessed to diagnose cardiac failure in chemotherapy patients.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia, which may be visualized by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in combination with the cocaine analog methyl-3-β-(4-β[123I]iodophenyl)tropane-2β-carboxylate ([123I]β-CIT). The aim of our study was to correlate findings of SPECT with clinical data of 34 previously untreated, idiopathic parkinsonian patients [age: 59.58±10.03 (mean±SD) years; Hoehn and Yahr Scale (HYS) mean range: 1.97±0.83, ranges I–III; Unified PD Rating Scale 3.0 (UPDRS, 30.64±18.68) and 15 healthy controls (age 47.93±10.47 years). SPECT scans were performed with a single-head γ-camera 24 h after intravenous injection of [123I]β-CIT. Comparison of the striatum/cerebellum (S/C) ratio of [123I]β-CIT uptake of controls and parkinsonian subjects, subdivided according to their HYS range, was significant. No influence of age or sex was observed. Significant correlations were found between scores of the HYS, UPDRS parts I–III, part II, part III, and the S/C ratio of [123I]β-CIT uptake. Moreover, SPECT with the radiotracer [123I]β-CIT revealed side-to-side differences in parkinsonian patients and significant associations to contralateral clinical extrapyramidal symptomatology. Our data show that SPECT with [123I]β-CIT is a valuable tool for estimating disease severity in PD.

Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) is an established method of evaluating cardiotoxic side-effects of chemotherapy. The image quality of RNV depends on labelling yields obtained after red blood cell (RBC) labelling with 99Tc(m)-pertechnetate and has an influence on the evaluation of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Several drugs and certain parameters of RBC labelling are known to have a detrimental effect on the labelling yield, but often the reason for poor image quality remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chemotherapeutic agents on LVEF evaluation. The chemotherapeutic medications and RNV data of 116 patients were noted. The patients underwent 205 RNV examinations (up to 7 RNV follow-up examinations) consisting of rest and stress studies. Ten patients with a poor labelling yield after in vivo labelling received an additional RNV study after in vitro labelling. The effects of commonly used anticoagulants and chemotherapeutic drugs on labelling yields were also investigated in experiments on in vitro RBC labelling. In vitro labelling had the advantage of better detection of pathological alterations in left ventricular motility, but often improved evaluability only slightly. The administration of corticosteroids showed an unexpected positive correlation with image quality (Spearman correlation coefficient: prednisone, 0.42403, P = 0.0013; prednisolone, 0.45629, P = 0.0286) and labelling yield (prednisolone, 0.65466, P = 0.0024), whereas idarubicin showed a negative correlation with image quality (-0.53364, P = 0.005). A slight positive correlation of prednisolone with LVEF at rest (0.45425, P = 0.0197) was also noted. Using our evaluation software, the manual contour method was found to be superior to the automatic determination of the left ventricular contour. Cycle ergometry alone caused a significant deterioration in image quality. The in vitro results suggested a negative influence of epirubicine on labelling yields at very high concentrations (10(-3) M). Our main result was that a clinically adequate study is possible in patients with moderate image quality and labelling yields. Furthermore, the administration of corticosteroids had a positive impact on image quality.

UNLABELLED:Prolonged colonic transit can be caused either by slow transit constipation or by pelvic outlet obstruction needing different therapeutic regimes. The aim of this study was to prove the value of scintigraphic assessment.METHODS:Colon scintigraphy was performed in 32 patients (28 women, 4 men; age range 8-68 yr) with idiopathic constipation at 8, 24 and 48 hr in ventral and dorsal projection after oral administration of a pH-sensitive, methacrylate-coated capsule of nonresorbable 111In-labeled polystyrene (cathion exchanger) micropellets (3.5 MBq/capsule). The geometric center (GC) as the sum of products of colon segment activity and colon segment number (1 = colon ascendens; 2 = transverse colon; 3 = colon descendens; 4 = rectosigmoid colon; and 5 = stool) dividing by the total counts was used to determine the velocity of colonic transit at least at 24 hr as the proximal colonic emptying (PCE) rates. Stool activity was evaluated indirectly as decay-corrected colon activity loss between two examinations. Results were compared with data obtained from 22 healthy subjects.RESULTS:Twenty-six patients had a significant prolongation of colonic transit after 24 and 48 hr (the 95% confidence interval of the patient's GC showed no overlap to the 95% confidence interval of GC calculated from 22 healthy controls as normal range) revealing slow transit constipation. Six patients had normal or accelerated transit (GCs and PCE rates) up to the rectum but delayed rectal emptying indicating pelvic outlet obstruction.CONCLUSION:By the help of this method it was possible to differentiate the two subtypes of colon transit prolongation by use of the reported scintigraphic technique, which leads to different therapeutic management of the patients. Compared with x-ray methods (Hinton test), this method has the capability of a continuous observation of colonic transit without increasing radiation exposure.

Background: A carcinoid syndrome is typically diagnosed in elderly patients, median age at diagnosis was 60 years in two large series. We describe a patient with the carcinoid syndrome at the young age of 15 years.Case Report: The 15-year-old patient's history and findings on physical examination, clinical chemistry, abdominal ultrasound and liver biopsy were typical for a carcinoid with hepatic metastases. The patient's ape, however, was very unusual. Because of her youth, we discussed a potentially curative treatment with resection of the primary tumor in the upper jejunum followed by liver transplantation at a second operation. This concept had to be abandoned, ver when the first operation revealed. tumor in the mesenterium, close to the primary, 5 cm in diameter and around the superior mesenteric artery. This tumor could not be resected. Liver transplantation therefore did not offer this young patient a chance for cure.

The aim of this study was to determine if it is possible to exclude renal obstruction using diuresis renography in the first 6 weeks of life (the period of physiological renal immaturity), thus avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures, such as the Whitaker test or surgery. Diuresis renography with 123I-hippuran was performed in 27 patients aged less than 6 weeks and in 50 older children who acted as a reference group (age 6 weeks to 1 year, n = 28; age 1-10 years, n = 22). All 27 patients had significant dilatation of the pelvicalyceal system on ultrasonography. Renal curves were evaluated by mathematical curve characteristics (split renal function, counts, T-max, etc.) as the visual grade of obstruction. Whole-kidney regions of interest were defined on images summed over 30 min; renal parenchyma on images summed over 5 min. The renal curves of 18/27 patients indicated tracer accumulation and led to frusemide administration. Only two patients showed no significant response to frusemide and had to be further investigated by the Whitaker test. The frequency of kidneys with no response to frusemide revealed no significant differences in the three groups. Whole-kidney evaluation resulted in an overestimation of obstruction in 9/150 kidneys, which matches the lower correlation to the DMSA separation values for this method of evaluation. In contrast with the literature, significant post-renal obstruction can be excluded by diuresis renography in most cases in spite of renal immaturity and can help to avoid invasive procedures.