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Biomedical subjects

G Ferlin

Publications and source records attributed to G Ferlin.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Proposal of a modified scintigraphic method to evaluate duodenogastroesophageal reflux.

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with 99mTc-HIDA offers a noninvasive method to detect duodenogastric reflux. Biliary reflux was graded using the persistence rather than the intensity of the radioactive refluxate: Grade 0 was considered the absence of reflux, minimal reflux, or reflux in the first 10-15 min; Grade 1 was repetitive reflux lasting less than 10 min; Grade 2 was persistent reflux; and Grade 3 was reflux up to the esophagus. Twenty-five patients with foregut symptoms were studied and results were compared to 24-hr gastric pH monitoring. Scintigraphy and pH monitoring agreed in 15 out of 25 patients (60%), but no correlation was found with the endoscopic findings. The rationale for this approach is based on pathophysiologic evidence that damage to gastric and/or esophageal mucosa is mainly related to the prolonged contact time with duodenal contents. This technique seems to allow a complete functional evaluation of the esophagogastroduodenal tract without causing adjunctive irradiation or discomfort to the patient.

Adult

Regional cerebral blood flow study with 99mTc-hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime single photon emission computed tomography in Alzheimer's and multi-infarct dementia.

Thirty-four demented patients, 19 with Alzheimer's and 15 with multi-infarct dementia, were studied using single photon emission computed tomography, and 99mTc-hexamethyl-propylenemine oxime as a tracer of regional cerebral perfusion. Tracer activity ratios, determined in cortical and subcortical regions, were compared with those of 11 age-matched controls. In both groups of demented patients, most of the cortical regions showed significant declines in tracer uptake from control values, with the greatest reductions in the parietal cortex. Significantly lower parietal indexes were found in the Alzheimer's patient group as compared both to the control values and to the group of multi-infarct dementia patients. A positive correlation was found between the magnitude of the parietal deficits and the severity of dementia.

Aged

Positive 131cesium scanning in parathyroid adenoma.

In a case of primary hyperparathyroidism, a palpable nodule, at the base of the right lobe of the thyroid, proved 'cool' during 99mTc scanning, but 'hot' when scanned with radiocesium. The uptake of this tracer was higher than the uptake of 75Seselenomethionine after suppression with T3. The authors discuss the possibility of cases of 'false-positive' radiocesium uptake in extrathyroid nodules, and in particular, the use of this tracer for the detection of parathyroid adenoma by scanning.

Adenoma

Quantitative bone scanning.

The use of a computer coupled on-line with the scintillation camera allows an improvement of the finding of skeletal scintigraphy realized with 99mTc-pyrophosphate, making possible the identification of the smallest bone lesions. It also makes possible the quantification of the uptake degree of the radioindicator demonstrating, in normal subjects, an uptake ratio between the various skeletal segments of 1.07 +/- 0.06. In 44 metastatic lesions the ratio was 1.80 +/- 0.32, whilst in 14 areas of slight hyperfixation of the tracer a value of 1.24 +/- 0.09 was found. Since we were dealing with patients suffering from metastatic bone neoplasms, the authors outline the possibility that the quantification of data will allow the demonstration of the bone metastases even more precociously than with traditional scintigraphix examination.

Bone Neoplasms