T.K. Jain

Bone marrow hyperplasia detected by gated blood pool imaging

Technetium-99m RBC gated blood pool ventriculography study or multigated acquisition (MUGA) is a commonly employed imaging study to determine the left ventricle ejection fraction and regional wall motion. However, tracer distribution at abnormal sites requires further evaluation. We present the case of a young thalassemia patient with significant tracer uptake in the rib cage as observed in the planar images of MUGA study helping in the demonstration of scintigraphic evidence of bone marrow hyperplasia.

Diagnostic dilemma of urinary leak vs. perirenal abscess on skeletal scintigraphy: The added value of SPECT/CT and renal scintigraphy

A 60-year-old male patient with prostate carcinoma was subjected to 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) skeletal scintigraphy to assess for whole body skeletal metastasis before surgery. Patient also had a severe left flank pain along with fever and increased white blood cell count since 20 days. After three hours of intravenous injection of 740 MBq of 99mTc-MDP, whole body bone scan was acquired in anterior and posterior views (Fig. 1a and b) that showed normal physiological tracer uptake in whole skeleton except oblique linear increased tracer uptake (arrow) in the left

Scintigraphic findings in end-stage liver disease on Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT/CT myocardial perfusion imaging

Technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging is commonly employed non-invasive study for evaluation of coronary artery disease; however, incidental extracardiac scintigraphic findings observed may provide additional diagnostic information. The authors present the unusual scintigraphic findings in a case of decompensated liver disease with right hepatic hydrothorax, being planned for orthotopic liver transplant.

Unusual Presentation of Bladder Paraganglioma: Comparison of (131)I MIBG SPECT/CT and (68)Ga DOTANOC PET/CT.

Extraadrenal chromaffin cell-related tumors or paragangliomas are rare, especially in the bladder, accounting for less than 1% of cases. We report a 16-year-old boy who presented with hematuria and paroxysmal headache and was found to have a prostatic growth infiltrating the urinary bladder on anatomical imaging. Iodine-131 (131I) metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) whole-body scanning and subsequently gallium-68 (68Ga) DOTANOC positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) were performed. The MIBG scan revealed a non-tracer-avid soft-tissue mass, while DOTANOC PET/CT revealed a tracer-avid primary soft-tissue mass involving the urinary bladder and prostate with metastasis to the iliac lymph nodes. He underwent surgical management; histopathology of the surgical specimen revealed a bladder paraganglioma, whereas the prostate was found to be free of tumor.

18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosis and response evaluation in an unusual case of antisynthetase syndrome presenting as pyrexia of unknown origin

Anti-histidyl (Jo-1) antibodies have been implicated in the pathogenesis of anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS). A case is presented of a 55-year-old male patient presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin and inconclusive routine investigations. (18)F-FDG PET/CT was performed to locate any abnormal focus, which showed increased FDG uptake in the proximal shoulder muscles, as well as lung lesions. Subsequent investigation showed the presence of anti Jo-1 antibody, and diagnosed as an anti-synthetase syndrome. The patient was successfully treated with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, and the response was assessed with symptomatic relief and disappearance of FDG uptake in lung and muscle lesions on post-treatment FDG PET/CT.

Follow-up 99mTc EC renal dynamic scintigraphy and DMSA-III SPECT/CT in unmasking a masqueraded case of Horseshoe kidney

Hydronephrosis is a common finding in urinary tract outflow obstruction. Chronically obstructed hydronephrotic system may be associated with parenchymal changes. Ultrasound, intravenous urography, micturating cysto-urethrogram and scintigraphy are commonly performed to evaluate the cause of obstruction. In childhood, pelviureteric junction obstruction is a common cause of the hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis can also be present in horseshoe kidneys due to poor drainage. However, a large sized hydronephrotic cavity may obscure the finding of horseshoe kidney. A case was reported, and it was diagnosed as horseshoe kidney on follow-up renal dynamic scan and confirmed with the help of dimercaptosuccinic acid SPECT/CT.

Vicarious liver visualization in solitary functioning kidney with technetium-99m ethylenedicysteine renal scintigraphy.

We present a case of 3-year-old boy who was incidentally diagnosed to have single left kidney on ultrasonography. Dynamic technetium-99m ethylenedicysteine renal scintigraphy was acquired for assessing the existing kidney function showed the tracer localization in bilateral renal fossae during the entire study. The single-photon emission computerized tomography/computerized tomography study revealed activity in the right renal fossa to be in the enlarged right lobe of the liver, which was mimicking as impaired functioning right kidney in planar images. The hybrid imaging helped in accurate delineation of tracer uptake by confirming it to be the false appearance of the right kidney in planar imaging. This case report also highlights the possible mechanism of renal tracer uptake in the liver parenchyma.

Lung or liver: An imaging dilemma on Tc-99m macroaggregated albumin lung perfusion scintigraphy

We present a 10-year-old boy having the bronchiectasis who was subjected to lung perfusion scintigraphy before lung resection surgery to assess the lung parenchymal function. It revealed unusual tracer distribution in right upper body that was mimicking to be liver. It was unusual unless there were some shunts bypassing the lung uptake or faulty radiopharmaceutical preparation. However by bringing down the image window, it became clear that radiopharmaceutical distribution was in thorax only correlating with lung uptake, and not in the liver. Corresponding X-ray chest and computed tomography thorax demonstrated multiple cystic lesions in left lung parenchyma.