Attenuation-Correction Induced Artifact in F-18 FDG PET Imaging Following Total Knee Replacement.

Purpose: The clinical use of PET FDG in the work-up of patients with bone and soft tissue malignant tumors is rapidly increasing. The recognition of any source of artifact, therefore, is important to avoid interpretation pitfalls.Procedures: Two patients with complete knee joint replacement by metallic prosthesis in the course of their treatment for malignant bone and soft tissue sarcoma were evaluated by PET F-18 FDG imaging using a dual head coincidence gamma camera.Results: Both studies demonstrated in the attenuation-corrected images intense increase activity at the joint space between the metallic prosthetic surfaces at the level of the knee joint. No uptake, however, was noted in the same location on the non-attenuation-corrected images. Subsequent bone and thallium-201 scans confirmed the absence of tumor recurrence in the first patient. The second patient had multiple follow up F-18 FDG scans over a period of 16 months that show no changes from the baseline study.Conclusion: In the F-18 FDG PET images of patients with total knee metallic prosthesis, an intense activity tends to be seen in the joint space, only in the attenuation-corrected images. Such pattern of uptake is considered artifactual and should always be verified in the non-attenuated images.

99Tcm hydroxyethyl starch: a potential radiopharmaceutical for lymphoscintigraphy.

The usefulness of 99Tcm hydroxyethyl starch (99Tcm HES) has been evaluated for visualization of lymphatic channels and lymph nodes. 99Tcm HES was prepared with a labelling efficiency higher than 95%. Its usefulness for imaging lymphatic channels and lymph nodes were compared to 99Tcm human serum albumin (99Tcm HSA), 99Tcm dextran (99Tcm DXT) and 99Tcm sulphur micro colloid (99Tcm SMC) in rabbits. 99Tcm HES showed a good visualization of lymphatic channels and lymph nodes and it had the highest clearance rate from the injection site (P less than 0.01). 99Tcm HES showed higher uptake by the nodes than 99Tcm DXT (P less than 0.001) at 90 min post injection. The concentration of 99Tcm HES in the lymphatic channels was higher than that of 99Tcm SMC at 90 min post injection (P less than 0.001). Preliminary studies of 99Tcm HES in humans provided high-quality lymphoscintigrams of the leg, and the pelvic and para aortic lymph nodes in less than 10 min post injection. In addition, partially and completely obstructed lymphatics could be differentiated from the normal one. Hence 99Tcm HES is a potential radiopharmaceutical for visualization of lymphatic channels and nodes.

Detection of infection of a cardiac xenograft by gallium-67 scan.

We describe a case complicated by infection of a xenograft conduit with subsequent septic emboli to the left kidney in the setting of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect which was positively imaged using radioactive gallium-67. Confirmation was provided by cross-sectional echocardiography and positive blood culture. The patient improved with antibiotic therapy.