Clinical evaluation of technetium-99m infecton for the localisation of bacterial infection

The aim of the study was to distinguish infection from inflammation in patients with suspected infection using technetium-99m Infecton. Ninety-nine patients (102 studies) referred for infection evaluation underwent imaging with 400 MBq^99mTc-Infecton at 1 and 4 h. Most patients had appropriate microbiological tests and about half (56) had radiolabelled white cell scans as well. No adverse effects were noted in any patient. The clinical efficacy of^99mTc-Infecton depended in part on whether imaging was undertaken during intibiotic therapy for infection or not. In consultation with the microbiologist, 5–14 days of appropriate and successful antibiotic therapy was considered adequate to classify some results as true-negatives. The figures for sensitivity and specificity of^99mTc-Infecton for active or unsuccessfully treated infection were 83% and 91% respectively. It is concluded that^99mTc-Infecton imaging contributed to the differential diagnosis of inflammation. It is being used as the first imaging modality when bacterial infection is suspected.     

质子磁共振波谱在胶质瘤诊断中的应用

目的探讨质子磁共振波谱（^1Hmagnetic resonance spectroscopy，^1HMRS）在胶质瘤诊断及分级中的应用。方法回顾分析我院2003年3月～2005年9月质子磁共振波谱检查并经病理证实的36例胶质瘤的临床资料，根据胶质瘤恶性程度不同分为A、B2组，其中A组为低恶性组（包括星形细胞瘤Ⅰ级和Ⅱ级、室管膜瘤、少突胶质细胞瘤等）21例，B组为高恶性组（包括星形细胞瘤Ⅲ级和Ⅳ级、多形性胶质母细胞瘤、间变型室管膜瘤、髓母细胞瘤）15例。观察氮乙酰门冬氨酸（Nacetylaspartate，NAA）、胆碱（choline，Cho）、肌酸（creatine，Cr）、肌醇（Ins）的共振峰及比值。大脑对侧对应正常脑组织的结果作内对照组。结果2组胶质瘤均表现为异常的。HMRS，与大脑对侧对应正常脑组织相比，A、B2组表现为NAA／Cr含量显著下降，Cho／Cr含量显著增高（P均〈0．05），cr总量变化不大，且无规律性（P〉0．05），Ins含量表现为轻度下降（P〉0．05）。A组NAA／Cr和NAA／Cho均显著高于B组（t=4．235，P=0．011；t=2．832，P=0．031），A组Cho／Cr显著低于B组（t=-2．323，P=0．042）。结论。HMRs可提高对胶质瘤诊断和分级的准确性。     

99m TC-MIBI动态显像对非小细胞肺癌化疗疗效的预测价值初探

目的 探讨^99mTC-MIBI动态显像对非小细胞肺癌化疗疗效的预测价值。方法 对确诊为不能手术的非小细胞肺癌患者化疗前,静脉注射740mbq ^99mTC-MIBI后分别于30min,2h行SPECT动态扫描,计算早期/晚期肿瘤组织与对侧正常肺组织的放射活性比（T/Ne,T/Nd）,全身采用卡铂/顺铂＋VP16化疗3周期,随后复查胸部CT,评判化疗疗效及其与^99mTC-MIBI动态显像的关系。结果 78例NSCLC符合入选标准,并完成化疗方案,66例呈阳性显像,12例阴性显像,66例阳性显像中化疗有效率为90.7%,阴性显像12例中化疗全部进展,两者比较差异有显著性（P〈0.01）。结论 ^99mTC-MIBI动态显像的放射活性越高,化疗效果越好,对非小细胞肺癌化疗疗效有预测价值,可为合理制定治疗方案提供重要依据。     

应用3H-TdR掺入法对SMMC-7721细胞株药敏试验条件的探讨与应用

目的探讨3H-TdR掺入法在进行SMMC-7721系细胞肿瘤药敏试验实验时的最佳实验条件.方法确定出3H-TdR掺入法药敏实验时的最适细胞浓度、最适实验药物浓度、3H-TdR掺入最适时间;在最适条件下采用3H-TdR掺入法测定肝癌SMMC-7721细胞株对临床常用的9种抗癌药物的敏感性.结果应用3H-TdR掺入法检测肝癌SMMC-7721细胞株药敏试验的最适实验细胞浓度为1×104个/孔,最适试验药物浓度为1×PPC,3H-TdR最适掺入时间为收集细胞前8 h;肝癌SMMC-7721细胞株对DDP、ADM、5-FU、CPT高度敏感,对MTX、VP-16、MMC、NVB低度敏感,对PYM不敏感.结论 3H-TdR掺入法可用于肿瘤药物敏感性测定并确定出它的最适实验条件.     

Assessment of split renal function with99mTc-aprotinin

The aim of this work is to correlate the net kidney uptake of^99mTc-aprotinin (TcA) in 103 subjects with separate effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) and some blood chemistry parameters at 90, 180, and 360 min postinjection both in the normal and diseased kidney. Correlations found with separate ERPFs are highly significant at any time (P < 0.001). However, although the slope of the regression line is steeper at 180 min,r tends to deteriorate slightly with time postinjection and a higher intercept on they axis: this pattern is more pronounced if diseased kidneys are considered separately. The following are probably related to the renal handling of TcA: (1) Early scans better reflect blood flow to the kidney, while later scans are more related to the metabolism/excretion tubular mechanisms; (2) correlations found with urea, creatinine, urea clearance, and creatinine clearance are highly significant at any time; (3) in 20 additional patients with diseased kidneys, renal uptake measurements done 360 min postinjection first with TcA and then with DMSA showed better correlations with ERPF employing TcA. Our results indicate that TcA is a feasible indicator of split renal function even at 90 min postinjection when a scan is easily carried out on an outpatient basis.This paper was in part presented at the European Nuclear Medicine Congress, August 14–17, 1984, Helsinki, Finland     

Review of non‐positron emission tomography functional imaging of primary musculoskeletal tumours: Beyond the humble bone scan

Bone and soft tissue tumours are rare neoplasms. There are five major roles of imaging in the management of primary musculoskeletal tumours, that is, to differentiate between benignity and malignancy, to evaluate for local tumour extension, to screen for metastases, to judge the effect of chemotherapy, and to monitor for recurrence. To accomplish this, multiple modalities are required because no single examination is able to complete all these tasks. These modalities include plain radiography, CT, MRI, conventional nuclear medicine as well as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Elsewhere, PET imaging has been discussed at length, because it is likely to be superior in the assessment of bone and soft tissue tumours over conventional nuclear medicine procedures. However, conventional nuclear medicine may be of value when PET is unavailable. In this review, an overview of anatomical imaging will be given and the role of non‐PET functional imaging will be discussed in detail. A variety of illustrative cases will be presented.     

Detection of moderate and severe coronary artery stenosis with technetium-99m tetrofosmin myocardial single-photon emission tomography

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of technetium-99m tetrofosmin myocardial imaging for the localization of coronary artery stenoses of different degrees of severity. Stress-rest single-photon emission tomography (SPET) was performed on separate days in 80 patients (64 males, 16 females; mean age 61 years; 43 patients with previous myocardial infarction; 18 patients with pharmacological stress), within 6 months of coronary angiography. Scintigraphic images were blindly and independently evaluated by three observers. Coronary stenosis was defined as a >50% narrowing in luminal diameter; severe stenosis was defined as a proximal stenosis of >75% or a peripheral stenosis of >90%. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries or insignificant coronary stenosis in 13 patients and significant coronary stenoses in 67 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of ^99mTc-tetrofosmin SPET in respect of severely stenosed vessels were, respectively, 80% and 65% for the left anterior descending artery (LAD), 100% and 46% for the right coronary artery (RCA) and 58 and 78% for the left circumflex artery (LCx) territories. Considering all the significantly stenosed vessels, a significant decrease in sensitivity was observed for LAD territories (to 59%, P=0.05), and a nonsignificant decrease for RCA (88%) and LCx (47%) territories while specificity values remained essentially unchanged. No significant changes in sensitivity or specificity were observed when regions with previous myocardial infarction were excluded. In conclusion, the sensitivity of ^99mTc-tetrofosmin SPET for the localization of individual stenosed vessels is only moderate when all significant stenoses are considered, but the ability of this technique to predict the location of severe coronary artery stenoses seems satisfactory, with the exception of the low specificity in respect of RCA territories. Received 26 April and in revised form 7 June 1997     

Technetium-99m sestamibi scintigraphy for the assessment of lower extremity ischaemia in peripheral arterial disease

Technetium-99m sestamibi was used for functional investigation of the muscle perfusion of lower extremities in 35 patients with peripheral vascular disease. The aim was to test what useful information could be obtained by additional imaging of the legs in patients referred for risk stratification with dipyridamole myocardial scanning. Posterior images were acquired over the thighs and calves after postocclusive reactive hyperaemia and at rest. Inter- and intraextremity ratios and differences between the stress and rest data were used for the assessment of abnormal circulation. Arteriography was performed in every case, and surgical procedures or transluminal angioplasty in 31 patients. To estimate diagnostic accuracy, the results of^99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy were compared with those of angiography and the functional consequences of revascularization procedures. The sensitivity and specificity of^99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy were 55% and 25%, respectively, with an overall accuracy of 50%. Apparently methodological error was not responsible for these poor results. Instead, a paradoxically high uptake of the radiopharmaceutical in muscles supplied by significantly stenosed vessels was identified as the main source of both false-negative and false-positive results. This phenomenon resembles the findings of a previous study involving delayed administration of thallium-201 after exercise. In conclusion,^99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy has not proved sufficiently reliable to help in the management strategy for patients with peripheral vascular disease.     

Age-specific cerebral perfusion in 4- to 15-year-old children: a high-resolution brain SPET study using 99mTc-ECD

This study addresses the question of whether the normal range for distribution of local cerebral blood flow (lCBF) in adults can be transferred to the 4- to 15-year-old age group. Twenty-three children (age: 4–15 years; mean 11±3 years, group I) and 10 adults (age: 27–56 years; mean 45±10 years, group II) without evidence of cerebrovascular disease or other brain diseases underwent technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission tomography. Counts in cortical and subcortical regions of interest (ROIs) were related to those in cerebellar ROIs (= 100%). Relative cortical activity in group I exceeded that in group II, particularly in left parietal (107.6%±9.8% vs 84.1%±12.4%), left frontal (97.7%±6.7% vs 79.4%±8.9%) and left temporal areas (99.7%±7.4% vs 84.9%±10.1%) and in the cingulate cortex (112.1%±9.1% vs 95.9%±10.1%, P<0.05). Cerebral activity uptake per injected dose was inversely correlated with age in 19 children of group I (r = –0.77, P<0.001). In group I, there was also an inverse correlation between age and the relative local count density in the parietal (r = –0.42 to –0.57), frontal (r = –0.48), temporal (r = –0.42 to –0.58) and occipital cortex (r = –0.44). In these cortical regions relative counts differed when subgroups of children aged 4–10 and 11–15 years were analysed. It is concluded that there are systematic differences between 4- to 15-year-old children and adults with regard to normal lCBF. Diagnostic use of perfusion agents has to consider age-adjusted normal flow maps; normal ranges should be determined separately for the age groups 4–10 and 11–15 years. Received 23 March and in revised form 11 July 1997     

Scintigraphic visualization of intrathecal liposome biodistribution

Background: Liposomes containing local anaesthetics have been administered intrathecally and in the epidural space. Poor attention has been given to the pharmacokinetics of liposomes as drug carriers. Therefore, we observed the biodistribution of liposomes after intrathecal injection in rats by scintigraphic imaging during 24 h.
Methods: We administered ⁹⁹Tc-labeled multilamellar (MLV) and small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) of defined size and volume dispersities into the cerebrospinal fluid at the lumbar level. Those vesicles were free of contamination by radiolabeled colloids as visualized by light and electron microscopy and of neurotoxic products from phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and peroxidation, both during the preparation process and after 24 h incubation in cerebrospinal fluid at 37°C in vitro.
Results: SUV immediately diffused from the lumbar site of injection to the head and were cleared between 1 and 24 h after injection. MLV were cleared more slowly from the spinal space and appeared in the head region 1 h after injection where they accumulated up to 24 h. These differences were explained in terms of vesicle sizes and volumes. SUV with 0.05 μm diameters were rapidly absorbed into the blood through the arachnoid granulations. In contrast, particles larger than the upper size limit of the arachnoid granulations permeability (±8 μm) could accumulate in the head with a slow elimination rate.
Conclusion: This difference in clearance from the intrathecal space outlines the importance of defining the size of the liposomes, the distribution of a tracer or a drug inside the liposomal preparation, the chemical stability and the absence of toxic degradation products of liposome formulations before clinical use.