Radionuclide thyroid imaging in the newborn with suspected hypothyroidism

Conference · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · J. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6868979

Yoosufani, Z; Karimeddini, M K; Spencer, R P; Ratzan, S K

The authors reviewed their experience with thyroid imaging in newborns with suspected congenital hypothyroidism. The infants were selected through a hypothyroidism screening program. There were 19 infants (14 females, 5 males) from 2 to 8 weeks of age with a blood T4 <6 ..mu..g/dl. Thyroid imaging was performed with either IV or IM injection of 0.5 to 1 mCi of Tc 99m pertechnetate using a gamma camera with a pinhole collimator. Salivary glands and stomach were also imaged for assessing the presence of the transport system. In 6 infants (32%) no thyroid tissue was visualized (thyroid hypoplasia). Four infants (21%) showed ectopic thyroid tissue in the lingual or sublingual area. Two infants (10%) had evidence of goiter. The remaining 7 infants (37%) had normal appearing glands in size and position. TSH values were markedly elevated (> 100 ..mu mu../ml) in all 10 patients with hypoplastic or ectopic thyroid. Two patients were subsequently found to have normal thyroid function (one with TBG deficiency and one with transient hypothyroidism). Thyroidal as well as salivary gland trapping of the radiotracer in these two infants was clearly less than that of adults suggesting immaturity of the transport/trapping mechanism. All 4 patients with ectopic thyroid had markedly increased uptake of the radiotracer. All other patients with elevated TSH levels had increased uptake of the radiotracer as compared to the normals. They conclude that thyroid scanning is an important tool in delineating the etiology of congenital hypothyroidism.

• Research Organization: Dept. Nuclear Medicine and Pediatrics, Univ. of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06032
• OSTI ID: 6868979
• Report Number(s): CONF-850611-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: J. Nucl. Med.; (United States) Journal Volume: 26:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550601* -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
AGE GROUPS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
CHILDREN
COLLIMATORS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONGENITAL DISEASES
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DETECTION
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC USES
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISEASES
ENDOCRINE DISEASES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
ETIOLOGY
GAMMA DETECTION
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
GLANDS
GOITER
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYPOTHYROIDISM
IMAGES
INFANTS
INJECTION
INTAKE
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SALIVARY GLANDS
SCINTISCANNING
STOMACH
TECHNETATES
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM COMPOUNDS
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
THYROID
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
UPTAKE
USES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES