Background Years ago the utility of of18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) in differentiated thyroid cancer was confined mainly to cases with elevated serum thyroglobulin and negative 131I whole body scan. In this study, we try to assess the diagnostic performance of 18FDG-PET/CT in recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer patients with positive 131I whole body scan and in addition to evaluate the impact of 18FDG-PET/CT on the treatment strategy. Results The 18FDG PET/CT detected tumor recurrence in 35 (81.3%) patients most of them (91.4%) were in stage IV, while the rest 8.5% was in stage III. No recurrence was detected among patients in stage II and III by 18FDG PET/CT. Regarding lesion-based analysis, sensitivity of 18FDG-PET/CT was superior to that of 131I post-therapeutic whole body scan (TxWBS) (78.2% vs. 69.4%, respectively), while both modalities had the same specificity (50%). 18FDG-PET/CT changed the treatment plan in 18 (41.6%) patients. Conclusion 18FDG-PET/CT may be complementary to 131ITxWBS in high-risk DTC with impact on treatment strategy.

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Background: Patients with cirrhosis are at high risk for the development of infections, acute pharyngitis is probably the most common infection presented to the everyday clinic. Objectives: To evaluate the role of CRP and ESR, in differentiation between bacterial and viral pharyngitis in patients with liver cirrhosis. Patients and methods: This study conducted on 80 participants. Group A: (cirrhotic patients) involve forty patients, twenty of them presented to the clinic with acute pharyngitis and the other twenty have no signs or symptoms suggestive acute pharyngitis. Group B: (immune-competent [non cirrhotic] patients) includes forty patients. Half of them have acute pharyngitis and the other half is clinically free. Acute viral and bacterial pharyngitis was differentiated clinically. ESR, CRP and throat culture were done for all participants Results: The mean ESR value in viral and bacterial pharyngitis-infected hepatic patients was 50. 55 ± 36.89 and 38.35 ± 28.69 respectively (p=0.242). The mean CRP value in viral and bacterial pharyngitis-infected hepatic patients was 47. 38 ± 9.58, and 53.91 ± 36.37 respectively (p=0.684). The mean ESR level in the bacterial and viral non-hepatic infected patients were 32.35 ± 2.16 and 19.25 ± 10.72 respectively with significant p-value (P=0.0001). The mean CRP value in viral and bacterial non-hepatic infected patients were 3.53 ± 3.01 and 20.35 ± 18.81 respectively with significant p-value (P=0.0001). Conclusion:In immunocompromised patient complaining of sore throat must undergo throat culture to identify the organism and apply the most suitable treatment to avoid antibiotic abuse, misuse and bacterial resistance.

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