Compensatory uptake of I-123 MIBG in the contralateral adrenal gland after removal of a pheochromocytoma. |
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Authors: | Hendrikus H Boersma Johanna W Wensing T Liang Kho L Maurits De Brauw Ing Han Liem Marinus J P G Van Kroonenburgh |
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Affiliation: | Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. |
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Abstract: | The identification of recurrent or residual tumor tissue is sometimes complicated. The authors describe a 53-year-old woman in whom I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy revealed a pheochromocytoma in the right adrenal gland. After the tumor was removed, the patient's catecholamine levels normalized. At the 3-month follow-up examination, I-123 MIBG scintigraphy did not reveal uptake in the right adrenal region but rather showed uptake in the left adrenal region. The patient's blood pressure remained in the normal range. A third scintigram, obtained 1 year after tumor resection, no longer detected I-123 MIBG accumulation in the left adrenal gland. These findings suggest that compensatory hyperplasia of the left adrenal gland led to enhanced uptake of I-123 MIBG. They also highlight the need for careful follow-up of such patients to distinguish between physiologic and pathologic processes. |
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