Thallium-201 imaging and estimation of residual high grade astrocytoma

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · J. Nucl. Med. Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5963142

Stafford-Schuck, K; Mountz, J M; McKeever, P; Taren, J; Beierwaltes, W H

Thallium-201 brain imaging was performed on five patients as a method to differentiate persistent and/or recurrent viable Grades III and IV astrocytoma tissue from necrosis or post-therapy changes. Planar images of the head and heart were obtained in order to calculate the ratio of tumor counts to cardiac counts. The heart was chosen as the internal reference organ, as thallium uptake dynamics are reproducible under ordinary circumstances. The numerical estimation of thallium uptake in the brain tumor, expressed in terms of the tumor/cardiac index, correlated well with the clinical course in all five patients. By visual inspection, the initial computed tomographic (CT) and thallium images suggested that the tumors were approximately the same size. Follow-up thallium images were discordant with follow-up CT images. Computed tomography, in general, appeared to depict image alterations suggesting more extensive regrowth of tumor than the actual clinical status or thallium brain scans demonstrated. Histologic examination best correlated with thallium images. In one patient's course of imaging they were able to detect tumor recurrence, by means of thallium imaging, 4 months prior to its appearance on CT. When performed serially, the tumor/cardiac index may provide an estimate of residual tumor burden, which can help distinguish tumor recurrence from changes secondary to therapy.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor
• OSTI ID: 5963142
• Journal Information: J. Nucl. Med. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 15:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ASTROCYTOMAS
DIAGNOSIS
BRAIN
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
HISTOLOGY
IMAGES
NECROSIS
PATIENTS
THALLIUM 201
UPTAKE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
GLIOMAS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
RADIOISOTOPES
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
TOMOGRAPHY
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics