Metastatic Superscan in 18F PSMA PET/CT of a Patient with Prostate Carcinoma.

A biopsy-proven patient with prostate carcinoma aged 70 years was referred to the department of nuclear medicine for radionuclide-based therapy. His prostate-specific antigen levels were >1000 ng/mL, and prostatic magnetic resonance imaging showed an enlarged prostate with a heterogeneous signal and size 3.8x3.7x3.5 cm with few small heterogeneous nodular signals in the transition zone. He was scheduled for 18F prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan before therapy. 18F PSMA PET/CT revealed PSMA-expressing prostate lesions (maximum standardized uptake value ~10.2) with extension into the urinary bladder along with bilateral supraclavicular, mediastinal, retrocrural, retroperitoneal, and pelvic lymph nodes and sclerotic lesions in the entire axial and appendicular skeleton.

Endobronchial Squamous Cell Carcinoma Presenting as Long Continuous Bronchial Thickening on 18Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.

A 67-year-old man is presented with complaints of chest pain and productive cough for 1½ years. Chest X-ray was suggestive of right upper lobe Koch's lesion. Sputum was positive for mycobacterium tuberculosis. His symptoms got relieved partially by antitubercular treatment but the patient had an aggravation of symptoms for which he was evaluated. Computed tomography (CT) thorax revealed an endobronchial lesion in the right upper lobe bronchus. Bronchoscopy showed a mass in the right main bronchus and biopsy was suggestive of moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). 18Fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/CT was performed for staging. There would have been chances of coexisting tuberculosis with SCC.

Comparing the Reliability of the Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimated with 99m-Technetium Diethylene-Triamine-Pentaacetate versus the Effective Renal Plasma Flow Obtained with 99m-Technetium Ethylene Dicysteine: A Prospective Observational Study.

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is important for assessing renal function and must be calculated reliably and reproducibly. This study aimed to compare the reliability and accuracy of GFR estimated with 99m-technetium diethylene-triamine-pentaacetate (99mTc-DTPA) versus that calculated from the effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) (GFR is 20% of ERPF) determined by the 99m-technetium ethylene dicysteine (99mTc-EC) technique. Forty-five patients suffering from cancer requiring platinum compound-based chemotherapy or from chronic renal failure were recruited. The patients were divided into two cohorts: (1) those with normal serum creatinine (SCr) levels (≤2 mg/dL) and (2) deranged SCr levels (>2 mg/dL). For all patients, the relative renal function was estimated by the 99mTc-DTPA and 99mTc-EC methods, 2-4 days apart. A 24-h urine sample for estimating 24-h creatinine clearance (CrCl) was obtained. GFR was also calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. The GFR estimated via 24-h urine CrCl, 99mTc-DTPA, and ERPF obtained with 99mTc-EC were examined by quantile comparison plots, and all showed evidence of following a non-Gaussian distribution. For SCr values ≤2 mg/dL, the GFR estimated by the MDRD formula consistently shows significantly higher values than the GFR estimated with 99mTc-DTPA or 99mTc-EC. We found a high degree of correlation between the 99mTc-DTPA and 99mTc-EC radionuclide methods of estimating GFR. However, in patients with renal dysfunction, GFR estimated through Gates' method using a gamma camera overestimated the GFR; in these patients, calculating the GFR from the ERPF obtained with 99mTc-EC is more accurate.

A Rare Case of Thyroid Cartilage Metastases Detected on 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.

The thyroid cartilage metastatic involvement is an extremely rare entity. It can be asymptomatic at the earlier stage and can become symptomatic later on. Involvement of thyroid cartilage is frequent in melanoma and renal and rarely reported in an advanced stage of carcinoma prostate, breast, and lung. These cases were usually reported on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) as can often easily be missed on computed tomography scan alone. We present a case report of metastatic involvement of thyroid cartilage in squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa detected on the whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT.

A Comparative Study of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Asymmetry Index in Stroke Patients with or without Poststroke Depression Using 99m Tc-ECD Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography.

Introduction Stroke is a major cause of death and disability around the globe. The development of depression following a stroke further increases the disability and impairs functional recovery. In recent decades, despite the advancement in structural and nuclear medicine imaging, the pathophysiologic basis of poststroke depression (PSD) is not well understood. Etiopathogenesis of PSD is multifactorial and afflictions of the frontal lobe, hippocampus, limbic region, and basal ganglia projections are implicated. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using 99m Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with (PSD + ) or without PSD (PSD-). Materials and Methods To evaluate the hemispheric asymmetry, the percentage of asymmetry index (AI) was calculated for frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, putamen, caudate, and thalamic regions of brain and compared between PSD+ and PSD-. The correlation between AIs over the different brain regions was also established in patients of PSD+ and PSD-. Our study cohort included 122 patients between 6 weeks and 1 year of stroke. Depression was present in 52 (42.6%) patients, assessed by hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and general health questionnaire-28 items (GHQ-28) scale. The 28 patients with PSD+ and 18 PSD- gave consent for SPECT study. Results Our results are based on 46 patients who underwent SPECT study. In patients with PSD+ and PSD-, the HADS and GHQ-28 scores were 8.93 ± 2.77 vs. 3.94 ± 2.15 ( p = 0.001) and 40.96 ± 9.48 vs. 17.72 ± 5.38 ( p = 0.001), respectively. A significant difference in rCBF AI was found in the temporal lobe ( p = 0.03) between patients of PSD+ and PSD-. On logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio of rCBF AI for temporal lobe was 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80-0.99; p = 0.04) and caudate nucleus was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73-0.98; p = 0.03), which were statistically significant. PSD correlated with AI in temporal region ( r = -0.03; p = 0.03) but did not show significant correlation with other regions of brain between PSD+ and PSD-. Conclusion The presence of temporal lobe rCBF AI on SPECT is significantly associated with PSD. This may reflect the dysfunction of the limbic system and contribute to the occurrence of PSD.

To evaluate the minimum number of renal scans required to follow pediatric patient postpyeloplasty.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the minimum number of renal scans required to follow pediatric patients postpyeloplasty. We prospectively reviewed the renal scans of 145 children with unilateral pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction who underwent dismembered pyeloplasty. Patients were then divided into four groups based on preoperative split renal function. All patients were followed with renal scan and ultrasound for minimum of 4 years. Renal scan and ultrasound were done after stent removal at 3, 6, and 12 months and then yearly after surgery. Drainage pattern (T1/2) was seen in all groups, except in patients where there was no comment on drainage pattern. Statistical analysis was performed using the Friedman ANOVA and Wilcoxon signed-ranks test as a post hoc test with Bonferroni correction and Kruskal-Wallis test with Mann-Whitney U-test as a post hoc test with Bonferroni correction. On comparison of the pattern of drainage with time in Groups 1-4, it was found that there was no significant difference with time in Group 1. Then, further, using Wilcoxon signed-rank test as post hoc test for Friedman ANOVA, Group 2 showed statistically significant difference in drainage pattern in scans between 6 months and 1 year, Group 3 showed statistically significant difference in drainage pattern in scans between 3 months and 1 year, and Group 4 showed statistically significant difference in drainage pattern in scans done between 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05). Minimum of three renal scans were required for paediatric patients post pyeloplasty at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year in the follow up period.

Cisplatin Induced Renal Insufficiency Measured by Glomerular Filtration Rate with 99mTc-DTPA and by using Serum Creatinine based Formulae: A Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Cisplatin also known as Cis-Diammine-Dichloroplatinum (CDDP) is a chemotherapeutic alkylating nephrotoxic agent. Thus, it is necessary to know if renal function is normal before starting chemotherapy. Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) can be assessed directly by using a radiopharmaceutical (dGFR). Estimated GFR (eGFR) method use, Serum Creatinine (SCR) levels in mathematical formulae such as Cockroft-Gault (CG) and abbreviated. Modified Diet in Renal Disease (aMDRD). The serum creatinine level is a function of GFR but is relatively insensitive for detecting early renal insufficiency. AIM: We aimed to correlate the incidence of Renal Insufficiency (RI) before and one month after completion of chemotherapy treatment by various methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, we examined 64 patients with locally advanced head neck and uterine cervix cancers, before and one month after chemotherapy treatment with CDDP. Single agent CDDP was used with dose range between 35mg/m2 as concurrent weekly chemotherapy. RESULTS: Baseline RI was seen in 9.3% of patients by SCR levels, in 21.8% by the dGFR method, in 43.75% by the GFR-CG method and in 25% by the GFR-aMDRD formula. We considered GFR of <60 ml/min and SCR >1.5mg% as RI. After completion of treatment, the median RI was seen in 12.5% by SCR levels, 34.38% by dGFR method, 53.13% by GFR-CG method and 40.63% by GFR-aMDRD formula. None of the methods of GFR estimation showed statistically significant increase in RI one month after CDDP infusion. Only a weak correlation was seen between dGFR and eGFR based on SCR value (p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Baseline RI was detected in 12% more cases when measured by dGFR as compared with SCR level. However, mathematical formulae overestimated baseline RI as compared to dGFR. One month after completion of treatment with CDDP chemotherapy, RI increased in 10%-15% cases as detected by all the four evaluated methods. There is weak correlation between SCR and dGFR thus implicating the importance of dGFR in assessing RI. Thus, despite normal SCR levels, GFR by radioisotope method should also be done as pre-treatment workup for cisplatin based chemotherapy.