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Biomedical subjects

W M Sy

Publications and source records attributed to W M Sy.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

[99mTc] pertechnetate radionuclide venography--large-volume injection without tourniquet.

Radionuclide venography was performed in patients who were suspected clinically to have thromboembolic disease of the lower extremities and/or pelvis. A moderately large volume of pertechnetate was administered in the dorsal vein of each foot without the benefit of applied tourniquets at the time of injection. Sixty-five (27.2%) of 242 studies were abnormal; the majority revealed defect(s) and collaterals, some collaterals only, and a few defects only. In 140 normal patients only the deep venous system was outlined in 74.5%, while the remainder defined one or both sides of the superficial venous system (great saphenous vein). The merits and apparent advantages derived from radionuclide venographic procedure are discussed. The method is simple, reproducible, and useful in assessing thromboembolic disease, particularly in the deep venous system of the lower extremities and pelvis.

Adult

Occlusion of inferior vena cava--features by radionuclide venography.

Six adults with inferior vena caval obstruction are presented. Three were the results of surgical intervention, two were secondary to large thrombi, and one was due to pressure from a large renal-cell carcinoma and adjacent nodes. All underwent a modified approach of radionuclide venography, using a moderately large volume of sodium pertechnetate. Features characteristic of inferior vena caval obstruction were demonstrated in five of the six patients, and these various features are described and discussed.

Adenocarcinoma

Unusual bone images in hyperparathyroidism.

Whole-body scans with 99Tcm-Sn polyphosphate were performed on four patients suffering from hyperparathyroidism. Two of the patients were investigated twice, at intervals of five and eight months. A variety of unusual but symmetrical images were obtained, not always confined to the skeleton. It is suggested that in conditions of renal failure the radiopharmaceutical may be avidly accumulated on first passage by calcifying areas in the soft tissues. Deteriorating blood supply to the bones reduces uptake of 99Tcm in the the skeleton.

Adult

Hand images: normal and abnormal.

Supplemental hand scintigrams with abnormal features were obtained from 29% of patients (134 of 463) who were referred for routine minified bone imaging with 99mTc-Sn-polyphosphate. A wide spectrum of normal activity distribution ranging from well-defined to "wash-out" images is described in 329 cases (71%). In the abnormal images of the joints and individual bones, the changes--although not always characteristic of some particular disease--may often suggest a diagnosis and/or its pathophysiologic status. The joints with heavy uptake correlate well with the presence of active clinical findings, e.g., in the arthritides. The bone feature associated with metabolic disease, especially when full-blown, may be fairly characteristic. A potential application is in the assessment of digital circulation, particularly in obliterative vascular diseases such as scleroderma, Buerger's disease, chronic neuropathies, and possibly other collagen or vascular diseases that involve the hands. Interesting images, probably of somewhat limited usefulness, are observed in some congenital anomalies, fractures, camptodactyly, contracture deformities, unilateral lymphedema after mastectomy, etc.

Bone Diseases

Bone scan in mastocytosis: case report.

A 45-year old man with well-documented systemic mastocytosis showed generalized symmetric increased activity on bone imaging. These scan findings are grossly indistinguishable from those of patients with renal osteodystrophy or secondary hyperparathyroidism. The images of the hands, however, failed to show the changes observed in secondary hyperparathyroidism. The mechanism for this intense activity is thought to be due to aberrant new-bone formation.

Bone Diseases

Bone scan in chronic dialysis patients with evidence of secondary hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy.

Bone scans in 13 of 14 patients on chronic dialysis were found to be abnormal. Symmetrical increased activity was noted in the calvarium, mandible, sternum, shoulders, vertebrae, and the distal aspects of the femur and tibia, as well as the patella. The scan abnormality is felt to be most likely the result of secondary hyperparathyroidism because of clinical and laboratory data, and, in four, confirmatory tissue diagnoses. The scan findings support the data of some earlier investigations on bone isotopic accretion in hyperparathyroidism. However, co-existing osteomalacia giving rise to abnormal activity in some of the patients cannot be excluded. Dihydrotachysterol may have minimized the extent of osteomalacia in these patients. Osteoporosis was probably present in some patients, but it appears differently on scan. Osteosclerosis was not detected on radiographic examination. Scan manifestations, especially mandibular activity, were pronounced and appeared earlier than the radiographic changes. The degree and extent of abnormal activity correlated with the length of dialysis and the level of alkaline phosphatase.

Adult

Value and pitfalls of the lateral lung scan.

Two hundred eighty-one of 443 lung scans composed of anterior, posterior, and lateral projections (done in our hospital) demonstrated defects. In 3.9 percent of them (11 cases), the defects were delineated in the lateral views only, while in 29.2 percent (82 cases), the lateral views either outlined additional defects not appreciated on the straight views, or showed more extensive lung involvement. In the majority of instances, 56.6 percent (159 cases), the lateral views showed comparable findings and also tended to segmentally localize the defects better. However, in 10.3 percent (29 cases), defects present on the straight projections were not detected on the lateral views. Various causes that could give rise to artefactural abnormalities in the lateral lung scan and therefore inhibit its proper interpretation, are reviewed and discussed. Despite these problems, the lateral may be the only view to demonstrate abnormalities and, in fact, frequently provides additional useful information.

Humans

Significance of absent or faint kidney sign on bone scan.

Seven men, six suffering from widespread bone metastases of prostatic origin and one with urinary bladder carcinoma, demonstrated minimal or no discernible radioactivity in the kidneys and urinary bladder at the time of bone scanning using 99mTc-stannous polyphosphate. The mechanism behind this scan finding is thought to be rapid and enhanced uptake of the radiopharmaceutical by pathologic bone. The significance of the faint or absent kidney sign in bone scanning, particularly in cases where abnormally homogeneous and symmetric radioactivity exists, is discussed.

Aged

"Cold" lesions on bone imaging.

Photon-deficient foci or "cold" lesions were demonstrated on 99mTc-polyphosphate bone imaging in eight individuals with various malignancies and one in sickle cell crisis. The bone radiographs of five of these persons failed to show corresponding bony changes at the time of the imaging. Most of the "cold" lesions observed on bone imaging were located in the denser and tubular bones. A postulate has been advanced regarding the factors that might influence the different gamma-imaging manifestations of radiographically demonstrable lytic lesions. The cases presented herein further emphasize the importance of recognizing the existence of "cold" areas in the images of bones and the need to place these in proper perspective when interpreting scans.

Adult