The MRI/SM is a feasible technique and appears to be more accurate than other examinations (MRI alone, mammography, and clinical exam) to measure breast cancer size.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of repetitive strain injury (RSI) is subjective and solely based on clinical signs and physical examination. The aim of this paper was to assess the usefulness of three-phase bone scintigraphy (TPBS) in diagnosing RSI. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study at the Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). METHODS: Seventy-three patients (mean age 31.2 years; 47 males) with clinical suspicion of RSI in the upper limbs were studied. A total of 127 joints with suspicion of RSI were studied. The shoulders, elbows and wrists were analyzed semi-quantitatively, using the shafts of the humeri and ulnae as references. The results were compared with a control group of 40 normal individuals. The patients’ signs and symptoms were used as the "gold standard" for calculating the probabilities. RESULTS: From visual analysis, abnormalities were observed in the flow phase for four joints, in the blood pool phase for 11 joints and in the delayed images for 26 joints. Visual analysis of the joints of the control group did not show any abnormalities. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that most of the patients’ joint ratios were normal. The exceptions were the wrists of patients with left-sided RSI (p = 0.0216). However, the sensitivity (9%) and accuracy (41%) were very low. CONCLUSION: TPBS with semi-quantitative analysis has very low sensitivity and accuracy in the detection of RSI abnormalities in the upper limbs.

ObjectiveTo evaluate SPECT/CT with radiolabeled somatostatin analogues (RSAs) in systemic granulomatous infections in comparison with gallium-67 (67Ga) citrate scintigraphy.Materials and MethodsWe studied 28 patients with active systemic granulomatous infections, including tuberculosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, pneumocystosis, cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, leishmaniasis, infectious vasculitis, and an unspecified opportunistic infection. Of the 28 patients, 23 had started specific treatment before the study outset. All patients underwent whole-body SPECT/CT imaging: 7 after injection of 99mTc-EDDA-HYNIC-TOC, and 21 after injection of 111In-DTPA-octreotide. All patients also underwent 67Ga citrate imaging, except for one patient who died before the 67Ga was available.ResultsIn 20 of the 27 patients who underwent imaging with both tracers, 27 sites of active disease were detected by 67Ga citrate imaging and by SPECT/CT with an RSA. Both tracers had negative results in the other 7 patients. RSA uptake was visually lower than 67Ga uptake in 11 of the 20 patients with positive images and similar to 67Ga uptake in the other 9 patients. The only patient who did not undergo 67Ga scintigraphy underwent 99mTc-EDDA-HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT-guided biopsy of a lung cavity with focal RSA uptake, which turned to be positive for aspergillosis.ConclusionSPECT/CT with 99mTc-EDDA-HYNIC-TOC or 111In-DTPA-octreotide seems to be a good alternative to 67Ga citrate imaging for the evaluation of patients with systemic granulomatous disease.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of surgery radioguided with intravenous (99m)Tc sestamibi associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast to detect tumor extent and guide complete tumor resection. A descriptive experimental study was developed with 10 breast cancer patients (stage IIA-IIB) who underwent mastectomy. From 2 to 10 days before surgery, the patients underwent breast MRI with 0.1 mmol/kg of gadolinium and scintimammography with a 740 MBq of (99m)Tc sestamibi. A region of interest was drawn around the tumor image and an uptake curve as a function of time was plotted to calculate the optimal time to perform radioguided surgery. In the perioperative period, the same dose of (99m)Tc sestamibi was intravenously injected into the patients. Tumor resection was performed under the guidance of a gamma probe. MRI was used to evaluate the skin and deep fascia involvement and to detect occult tumor foci which were also excised. Subsequently a modified radical mastectomy was performed. Tumor and residual breast were histopathologically examined. In a series of 10 women, all demonstrated (99m)Tc sestamibi uptake in tumor cells. Eight patients showed no disease in the residual breast, one presented with one foci of invasive ductal carcinoma measuring 0.5 cm in diameter located 5 cm from the tumor bed, and one presented with one foci of ductal carcinoma in situ measuring 0.8 cm at the resection margin. The mean tumor size in the histopathologic assessment was 3.3 cm and in MRI was 5.0 cm. Radioguided surgery using (99m)Tc sestamibi associated with MRI is a feasible technique that can be employed in tumor resection.

Objective: To compare the accuracy of SPM and visual analysis of brain SPECT in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Method: Interictal and ictal SPECTs of 22 patients with MTLE were performed. Visual analysis were performed in interictal (VISUAL(inter)) and ictal (VISUAL(ictal/inter)) studies. SPM analysis consisted of comparing interictal (SPM(inter)) and ictal SPECTs (SPM(ictal)) of each patient to control group and by comparing perfusion of temporal lobes in ictal and interictal studies among themselves (SPM(ictal/inter)). Results: For detection of the epileptogenic focus, the sensitivities were as follows: VISUAL(inter)=68%; VISUAL(ictal/inter)=100%; SPM(inter)=45%; SPM(ictal)=64% and SPM(ictal/inter)=77%. SPM was able to detect more areas of hyperperfusion and hypoperfusion. Conclusion: SPM did not improve the sensitivity to detect epileptogenic focus. However, SPM detected different regions of hypoperfusion and hyperperfusion and is therefore a helpful tool for better understand pathophysiology of seizures in MTLE. Key words: brain perfusion, SPECT, SPM, seizures, epilepsy.SpeCT cerebral na epilepsia de lobo temporal mesial: comparação entre análise visual e SpM ReSuMO Objetivo: Comparar a acurácia do SPM com a análise visual na detecção do foco epileptogênico e alterações perfusionais à distância no SPECT cerebral. Método: Foram realizados os SPECTs ictal e interictal de 22 pacientes com epilepsia de lobo temporal mesial (ELTM). A análise visual foi realizada nos estudos interictal (VISUAL(inter)) e ictal (VISUAL(ictal/inter)). Na análise com SPM foi comparado o estudo interictal (SPM(inter)) e ictal (SPM(ictal)) de cada paciente com o grupo controle e comparou-se a perfusão dos lobos temporais entre os estudos ictal e interictal (SPM(ictal/inter)). Resultados: Para a detecção do foco epileptogênico, as sensibilidades foram as seguintes: VISUAL(inter)=68%; VISUAL(ictal/inter)=100%; SPM(inter)=45%; SPM(ictal)=64% and SPM(ictal/inter)=77%. O SPM foi capaz de detectar mais áreas de hiperperfusão e hipoperfusão. Conclusão: O SPM não aumentou a sensibilidade na detecção do foco epileptogênico. Entretanto, o SPM detectou diferentes regiões de hipoperfusão e hiperperfusão e portanto, ele pode ser uma ferramenta de ajuda para se melhor entender a patofisiologia das crises na ELTM.