Bone scintigraphy of a liposarcoma presenting as a muscle hematoma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I P Murray.
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A series of 208 patients was prospectively assessed for reflux nephropathy by intravenous urography (IVU) and 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinate (DMSA) scintigraphy. All patients were studied at least 3 months after their most recent urinary tract infection and micturating cystourethrography (MCU) was performed prior to the scintigraphic studies. DMSA scintigraphy detected significantly more cortical abnormalities than did IVU. There was also a correlation between cortical abnormalities in the DMSA studies and the degree of reflux on MCU. The validity of DMSA as a cortical imaging agent is evaluated and the histological evidence for its efficacy derived from the animal model is reviewed, lending weight to its establishment as the "gold standard" for renal cortical scarring.
The demand for high-quality ventilation imaging of the lungs has resulted in the advent of Technegas, which has proven its superiority to the more conventional agents in a number of clinical trials. Images of similar diagnostic quality have been difficult to obtain in patients who are uncooperative, intubated or very young. With this problem as the impetus, a ventilatory assistance device (VAD) was designed to exploit the superior imaging qualities of Technegas. The Technegas generator was interposed between the patient and the VAD, allowing the controlled movement of Technegas into the patient from the generator. Utilizing this device, the problems of increased dead space, turbulent gas flow and possible contamination were circumvented. Twenty patients, comprising nine children and eleven adults, were studied for various indications including assessment of pulmonary parenchymal disease, suspected pulmonary embolism and the lung clearance of modified Technegas. In all cases, images of diagnostic quality were obtained with ease, facilitating relevant clinical decision making. We conclude from this preliminary appraisal that the VAD is a simple, safe addition to the Technegas generator for imaging a group of patients in whom images of diagnostic quality have traditionally proven difficult to obtain.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases, largely as a result of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Since the mortality from recurrent infection is between 40% and 60%, early diagnosis and therapy are the keys to survival. The role of technetium 99m diethylene triamine penta-acetate (DTPA) aerosol pulmonary clearance was studied in 81 patients with AIDS. The mathematical technique of curve stripping was found to be the optimal method of analysis and to provide an overall sensitivity of 94% for the detection of interstitial pneumonitis. The procedure was superior to standard pathology parameters and radiography and more convenient than gallium 67 scintigraphy.
Six female and 4 male patients (age, 23 to 75 years) underwent operation for difficult intracranial lesions. Preoperative diagnoses included four giant intracranial aneurysms, three base of skull glomus jugulare tumors, two arteriovenous malformations, and one cerebellar hemangioblastoma. All lesions were inoperable or nearly so by standard neurosurgical techniques. All patients were placed on total bypass via groin cannulations. Bypass times ranged from 111 to 269 minutes (mean, 174 minutes) with cooling times of 26 to 83 minutes (mean, 48 minutes) and warming times of 68 to 110 minutes (mean, 83 minutes). Circulatory arrest times ranged from 1.25 to 60 minutes with 1 patient not requiring arrest. The lowest core temperatures recorded varied from 8.4 degrees to 13.7 degrees C. There was one postoperative death and one major complication, both in patients with arteriovenous malformations. Eight patients (80%) have achieved an excellent result. Profound hypothermia with the option of circulatory arrest and exsanguination has been an indispensable adjunct to the safe management of intracranial aneurysm, glomus jugulare tumor, and hemangioblastoma.
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The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a growing problem in Australia: 438 new cases were added in 1988, resulting in the cumulative total of 1562 patients up to November 1989. The cumulative death rate stands at 54%, the majority of deaths being due to secondary infections and malignancies. The clinical presentation of these problems is often non-specific and protean; early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment and survival. Whole body gallium-67 scintigraphy offers an early diagnostic window into many of these infections and malignancies. Although the findings may be non-specific, the procedure is sensitive and may indicate the need for urgent empirical therapy or direct the more definitive investigation. A review of our experience with gallium-67 scanning in 56 AIDS patients at the Prince of Wales/Prince Henry Hospitals confirms its role in presaging significant clinical deterioration in patients with AIDS.
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In the assessment of acute knee pain following recent trauma frequently related to sporting activities, bone scintigraphy was performed on 52 patients; in 40 of these patients, scintigraphy immediately preceded arthroscopy. SPECT was critical in providing delineation and sitting of the abnormalities; this would not have been feasible with conventional planar imaging in 45 of the patients. Multiple sites of focal uptake were frequently visualized at ligamentous insertions or in intra-articular areas of cartilaginous erosion. Damaged anterior cruciate ligaments were only identified in 5 out of 10 patients, occurring when there was avulsion of the tibial attachment, but changes resulting from patellar injury were demonstrated in all 8 patients. The most characteristic scintigraphic change resulted from meniscal tears, which was diagnosed in 31 out of 35 patients in whom the lesion had been suspected clinically. In the identification of this common injury, SPECT had a sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 87%, and diagnostic accuracy of 88%. Thus, although trauma readily induces scintigraphic abnormalities in and around the knee, the patterns of alteration associated with particular lesions can be identified by SPECT and can provide considerable assistance in management, particularly in determining the need for arthroscopy.
A retrospective review of 37 children with a variety of solid tumors who underwent 60 67Ga single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) studies was performed. These studies were correlated with clinical and radiological findings and, where possible, histopathologic confirmation. In all studies, SPECT gave better definition and better anatomic localization of disease sites than obtained with planar views. SPECT detected more lesions in the head and neck (planar 16, SPECT 19), chest (planar 39, SPECT 45), and abdomen (planar 22, SPECT 24). In six of 20 patients scanned following chemotherapy, SPECT was useful in demonstrating that tracer accumulation in a normally located and shaped thymus indicated uptake resulting from thymic regeneration rather than tumor recurrence. It is concluded that 67Ga SPECT studies are very useful in the pediatric population, where perhaps because of their small size, interpretation of standard planar views may be difficult.
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The increasing availability for routine nuclear medicine studies of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reflects the realisation of its ability to improve lesional detection and the assessment of location. This is achieved by removing unwanted surrounding radioactivity and thus delineating with greater clarity deeper areas of preferential accumulation. By removing the super-imposition of structures, SPECT offers considerable potential for improved diagnostic accuracy in suspected bone and joint disease. Time and cost, however, necessitate a selective use of the technique. The maximum advantages arise from studies of the head, spine, skull and knees. The role of SPECT does, in some instances, lie in providing increased sensitivity in the detection of focal uptake while in others it complements alternative imaging modalities by identifying the functional status of an abnormality and thus may demonstrate its clinical significance. Since such information may be obtained by planar scintigraphy using techniques such as pinhole collimation, continuing evaluation is essential to ascertain the precise indications for SPECT imaging.
An osteoid osteoma, which rarely occurs in an intraepiphyseal site, was identified by SPECT imaging in the proximal tibial epiphysis of a boy who had lower back pain, which had not been explained prior investigations.
The effect of iron chelation using subcutaneous desferrioxamine on the iron-overloaded heart was studied prospectively over 4 years in 23 asymptomatic patients (mean age 13.2 +/- 5.3 years) with thalassaemia major and transfusion-dependent anaemia. The haemoglobin was maintained greater than 10 g/dl by transfusion and chelation therapy to achieve a negative iron balance. Chelation was closely supervised to ensure compliance. Despite an increase in calculated iron load due to transfusion from 34 +/- 27 g to 63 +/- 28 g, there was a sequential fall in serum ferritin levels from 3148 +/- 1956 ng/ml to 2228 +/- 1825 ng/ml (P less than 0.05). Abnormalities of left ventricular (LV) function, assessed by radionuclide angiography, were present at rest or during exercise in 18 of 23 patients (78%) prior to therapy. Normal LV function was restored in 11 of these 18 patients, five continuing to have abnormal function and two dying. There was a significant increase in resting LVEF from 50 +/- 8% to 57 +/- 6% (P less than 0.01). Peak exercise LVEF rose from 51 +/- 11% to 65 +/- 7% (P less than 0.001). We conclude that the common subclinical abnormalities of LV function induced by iron overload in unchelated patients with thalassaemia major can be reversed with long-term subcutaneous infusions of desferrioxamine.
The diagnosis of chondrosarcoma may be difficult if there is an atypical radiographic appearance or an inconclusive biopsy. Radionuclide bone scans of 13 patients with chondrosarcoma were reviewed to assess if a pattern of scan features could be recognised in association with this tumour. A combination, including increased blood pool activity, moderate intensity of uptake, patchy uptake with cortical predominance of activity, minimal distortion of bony outline, and a well-defined scintigraphic margin, occurred regularly in the series. Recognition of this characteristic pattern of scintigraphic features in cases of suspected chondrosarcoma may assist in the diagnostic assessment.